Someone to Lean On
by RockerLane1110
Summary: Kendi, Ponyboy's adopted daughter, is trying to move on from a friend's death. Her new friend, Cameron, is dealing with an alcoholic father with his two older brothers. Will anybody reach out to them before their emotions get out of hand?
1. Whatever Happened to Ponyboy?

**Someone to Lean On**

**Chapter One- Whatever Happened to Ponyboy?**

**Author's Note: This is my first fanfic story. It was originally a story that I was writing for no reason and it wasn't really supposed to be a fanfic but I changed it a little and I think it's better with Ponyboy being a father. There are a few extra characters in here since it's about Ponyboy's daughter. I hope you like it.**

Disclaimer: I don't own S.E. Hinton's "The Outsiders."

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I remember the night when Johnny and Dally died. It was awful. I couldn't believe they were gone. Actually, I didn't want to believe they were gone. I spent a lot of time deluding myself that they were just sick and that they'd be better soon. That everything would still be the same. We'd still be able to play football and go to the movies and all the things we used to do. I wanted to believe that it was all a bad dream. But I learned the hard way that if you don't face it soon, it'll hurt more when you finally do. Even after I wrote that essay for Mr. Symes, I still didn't want to know that they were gone. And when I finally did, I spent the whole night crying until Soda and Darry woke up and came to comfort me. I'm over it now. Well, not exactly over it, but I have moved on. The pain of my two close friends being gone has winded down to a dull ache. 

Things are different now. Way different. Remember Cherry Valence, that redhead we met at the movies? Guess what? Her name's now Sherri Valence Curtis. After I'd moved on from Johnny and Dally's death, we started going out a couple times. Some people didn't approve of us being together, her being a Soc and me being a Greaser, but it didn't stop us from going out a few times to make out and going to the movies and me popping the question at her birthday party. I swear, my heart was about to pop out of my chest when I waited for her answer. Imagine my joy when she said yes.

I was able to go to college on a track scholarship and I learned how to be a teacher. Who ever said a Greaser can't teach? After I graduated, Cherry and I married. We started talking about having kids and we decided that no child of ours was going to be raised in a place where the terms "Greaser" and "Soc" existed. We didn't want them to see the wrong sights and to learn the wrong things like the gang and I did. Hence, our move to Connecticut where I got a job as a Language Arts teacher at Guinesborro High School. It pays well enough to keep food on the table and a roof over our head and to keep us from Greaser status. Along with my address, my name has changed. The only people who call me Ponyboy now are Cherry and the rest of the gang. Everyone else refers to me by my middle name: Michael. It might seem like I've exchanged my identity, but who wants to go through their adulthood with a name like "Ponyboy?"

Unfortunately, a few years back, Cherry and I learned that we were unable to conceive a child. It hurt a lot to see my wife cry like she had. I promised her that we would find a way to be happy with or without a child. But deep down I also longed for a small face to love and cherish too. That's why we decided to take in a foster kid. Her name is Kendi. She was only eleven when we took her in. We fell in love with her and a year later, we adopted her as one of our own.

Kendi was twelve when we signed the adoption papers. I had already missed a good-sized chunk of her life. Already, she has seen the death of someone she loved. It wasn't a parent, God knows what they were thinking when they gave her up at age two, but someone she looked up to. Kendi's not willing to talk about it, though. "I'm over it, really," she says but it doesn't take a mad scientist to detect the hidden pain in her voice, the sorrow that refuses to speak. Cherry and I have tried to get her to talk to us about it but she denies that there's anything to talk about.

She's fourteen now and is getting ready for high school. Although, I work at a private school, I don't really believe that Kendi would feel comfortable in one so I won't be having her as my student, which works out well for her. She is going to a public high school, Kesata High. Proudly, I can say that the child my wife and I have raised has managed to get into all honors classes. So it sometimes makes me wonder why she dreads school.

When Kendi first came to us, Cherry and I spent a lot of our efforts getting her to talk to us. We wanted to know if anything was bugging her specifically the death of her friend. But after we adopted her, we decided it would be better for her to come to us instead of the other way around. We've left the subject alone for two years and I'm starting to believe that maybe she's telling the truth. Maybe she really _is_ over it.


	2. Last Day of Summer

Chapter Two- Last Day of Summer 

**A/N: Okay some of the OC's in this story are based on the actual characters from the book only they live in this time and not in the 60s. Their personalities are kind of spread between the OC's so see if you can guess them! Oh, and this is when you meet Cameron for the first time and you'll be seeing more of him throughout the story so pay attention to him.**

Disclaimer: I do not own "The Outsiders" but I do own Kendi and Cameron.

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**Ponyboy's Point of View:**

It was the last day of summer. Both Kendi and I will be going back to school. She will be heading back to the classroom to study, learn, and to do work. I will be going back to teach and to be the one who gives the work. She will be doing homework every night trying to balance school with her social life. I will be grading papers every night trying to balance work with family life. In other words, life isn't going to give us any breaks after today. Still, I thought that Kendi should be outside with her friends and celebrating the last day before high school. Not inside strumming her guitar in the basement alone. I went downstairs to see what she was doing. She was playing some punk rock song on her electric guitar.

"Kendi, shouldn't you be out with your friends? Tomorrow, you go to school, so why don't you hang out with Maya or something?"

Kendi looked at me with her dark blue eyes and said, "Dad, Maya is off somewhere doing her last-minute back-to-school shopping. And I don't really want to go outside today."

This seemed unheard of to me. What kid didn't want to get out of the house and get some fresh air?

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she said before going back to play her song. Sometimes it's hard to understand kids today.

After I left Kendi alone, as I was walking up the steps, I swear I heard someone singing. I'd never heard Kendi sing. The voice was too soft for me to figure out if it was really Kendi or just her CD player with the volume raised to the max.

I went back to the room where Kendi was practicing and I didn't hear any singing. Either I'm losing it or Kendi's hiding something again.

**Cameron's Point of View**

"Might as well enjoy this day while you can 'cause tomorrow you'll be entering Kesata High and that won't be no easy thing."

"Yeah, yeah," I said. I was just lying on the couch trying to doze off the last day of summer. Who knows, maybe I won't wake up for the first day of school. I was also half listening to my brother, and half wishing he would just shut up. I wasn't looking forward to the first day of school but I wasn't going to sweat about it.

While I was being a couch potato, Rodney was sitting on the floor watching "Drake and Josh." I was kind of watching it too. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Why would two teenagers want to watch a Nickelodeon show? Well, Rod and I related to this show a little. It was about two brothers; one was a rocker and the other was this funny dude who attempts at magic tricks. Attempt is the key word here. It's a funny show and sometimes Rod is the rocker and I'm the dork or the other way around depending on how we felt.

Our other brother, Dan, came into the room. At eighteen, you'd expect him to be getting ready for college or something. True, he received a football scholarship to this Ivy League college but because our dad lost his job last year, Dan decided to stay and help support us. Sometimes, I wonder if he hates us because we prevented him from going to college.

"Cam, what are you doing? Are you just going to sleep off your last day of summer? Why don't you go hang out with Rawley or something?"

"Hmmmm…" I groaned as I tried to pick myself up from the couch. Trust me, I would've done anything to just be able to lie there all day. But I knew that if I didn't get up now, Dan would just keep on nagging me. I would have to get up eventually.

I decided I would just go to the park instead of visiting Rawley. As I left the house, I said, "I'm going out!"

"Be back at five and stay out of trouble!" I heard Dan call. Whatever.

When I went to the local park, there were already a number of people there. I leaned against one of the trees and pretended I was just waiting for someone, which I wasn't. No one saw anything peculiar about a teenager just lounging around. There were a few family picnics and some teenage couple hanging out at the snack bar. They both looked older than me and I wondered if I would be seeing them in high school. I was already getting bored and I wished I had brought my guitar There wasn't much to do here when you were alone.

Suddenly, I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I whipped around and I saw Rawley standing there behind me.

"Oh, hi Cam," he said. He wasn't much of a talker. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"It's alright, I was about to doze of anyways."

"You want to go to the arcade?" he asked. I shrugged. It was better than doing nothing.

Looking at Rawley and me, you'd know immediately that we weren't related. Rawley, being about a year older than me, is slightly taller. He also has black hair that stopped right behind his ear and black eyes. I, on the other hand, have blonde hair that goes until the middle of the back of my neck and gray eyes. Rawley's still my best friend, though, and wasn't going to change.

Rawley and I started playing a game of air hockey. I was winning by two points.

"So Cam, how's your dad?" I froze. I didn't even notice that the puck had slipped into my goal until Rawley told me to put it back on the table.

I hate talking about my dad. Dad lost his job last year. I wasn't too surprise when I came home from school that day to find him home early. It was bound to happen at some point. Sometimes, people ask me what he does for a living. I'm always tempted to say, "He's an alcoholic." But instead, I end up saying that he's having trouble looking for work. At least that's what I say now. I don't remember what Dad's job was. When people, particularly teachers, would find out about my dad's unemployment, they would always give me looks of pity. Pity's not what I want, though.

"I guess I chose the wrong time to ask," Rawley said after a few moments of silence.

Rawley knows about my dad but he just asks a few times just to make sure everything was okay.

"He's fine." Rawley decided to just change the subject.

"So, you're going to Kesata High tomorrow. Looking forward to it?' I knew Rawley was just trying to find something to talk about. He knew I was less than eager to go to school.

"Kind of."

"C'mon, Cam. It's not like middle school."

"You never know."

"Jed Meyers isn't going to be there. You got nothing to worry about."

Jed Meyers was this kid who used to pick on me during middle school. He was stocky and had a strong right arm. I should know having encountered the kind of punch it could produce. He used to make fun of me for wearing black, for being small and shit like that. Dan and Rodney tried to give me tips on how I should handle it. Dan said I should go to a teacher or some other adult. Rod told me that I should give him a "good whack between the eyes." I liked Rod's advice better. Too bad Jed was twice my size.

Finally, during eighth grade, I got taller and I matched Jed's height. I got the guts to challenge him in a fight. He might seem stronger physically, but I was the one with the grudge and anger built up. I got a black eye but Jed got worse. I managed to give him a bruised nose, a fat lip and even knocked out a few of his teeth. Sure, I was suspended for two weeks but it was definitely worth kicking Jed Meyers's ass. Sadly, Jed's going to some private school so he won't be able to plan his revenge on me. I hope.

"You aren't going to skip school, are you?" Rawley asked randomly.

"No, I won't," I said. I wouldn't unless I needed to.

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**A/N: I know it's kind of a weird ending but I didn't think there was anything else that needed to be said. At least you know a little bit about Cam now. Oh, and R&R if you can. The next chapter should be up soon.**


	3. Kendi Curtis is Falling Down

Chapter Three- Kendi Curtis is Falling Down 

**A/N: This is the chapter where you finally read Kendi's point of view. And to my friend, Carly, yes Maya is the character that's based on you. There are some other characters that are introduced here. Tell me if I'm putting too many people in this story. **

Disclaimer: I do not own "The Outsiders" but you probably already knew that.

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**Kendi's Point of View**

Well, here we are now. At the bus stop awaiting our first day of high school. My dad already left for his teaching job at that preppy private school. I was so glad when he said that I could attend a public school. I wasn't interested in wearing some stupid uniform. I think Dad wanted me to go, though. Maybe he liked the idea of his daughter as his student. I'm the only kid he's got. Mom left after she dropped me off at the bus stop. She works at a daycare with all these little kids. I think she's making up for not having a baby or a toddler to raise. I was already in middle school when they adopted me.

It's weird. Mom and Dad watch over kids as their job and when they want one of their own, they're cursed with infertility. The world is so unfair.

"When's the bus going to get here?" Adriane yelled to nobody. I was just staring off into space dreading what was coming. I was also half-listening to Adriane and half-wishing she would just shut up.

When the bus finally came, Adriane said, "It's about time!"

The hall at Kesata High was crowded. The freshman were looking all around for their lockers and the upperclassmen were pushing the new kids around to get to their own lockers. Somehow, I managed to find my best friend, Maya, among the crowd.

"Hey, Kendi. What's up?" she said. I noticed Maya hadn't gotten a haircut over the summer even though her parents wanted her to. Her dark brown hair was still long and strong.

"Nice haircut," I said sarcastically. I had asked my parents not to get me a haircut, also. My dark blond hair was almost to the middle of my back.

"I see you got your way too and didn't get one," Maya remarked.

"Yeah," I said.

"So do you like this new shirt I got yesterday?" she asked. Maya was wearing a black t-shirt with the words, "You're funny but looks aren't everything," printed in purple letters.

"That's cool," I said. Maya started looking at me strangely.

"Aren't you a little warm in that sweatshirt?"

She was referring to my My Chemical Romance zipper hoodie. It was black and a little too warm for the beginning of September. I didn't let it bother me, though.

"No," I said plainly.

"You sure?" she asked. I nodded.

After that, we also went to look for our lockers. Maya's was locker 1214 and mine was 1020. That seemed too far apart for us.

As I was looking for my locker, I heard a familiar voice. One that I wasn't too happy to hear.

"Hey, it's Kendi Curtis," the voice said in a snobbish tone. I turned around to see a tall girl with sleek, red-gold hair. It was Valencia Marx, one of the most popular girls in school. I can't stand her.

"What do you want, Valencia?" I said.

"Nothing. So what'd you do? Stick your finger in an outlet? Is that why your hair's so frizzy?"

I put a hand on my head out of habit. Bad move. Valencia and her posse were now pointing and laughing at me.

"Why don't you be a bitch somewhere else?" I said.

Valencia looked me right in the eye and said, "It's your fault for coming to school looking like _that_. What's with all the black? Going to a funeral? Yours, perhaps?"

I knew that people thought I was some Goth princess because I wore black almost everyday. But that's because I like the color. And I didn't like Valencia's comment about my outfit.

"It'll be you funeral if you don't shut the hell up!"

That was an even worse move. Valencia got angrier.

"You better watch your mouth, you little shrimp!"

At the word, shrimp, I exploded. I pushed Valencia backwards and she nearly fell to the floor if the lockers weren't behind her. After she got back up, I tried to escape. But Valencia and her two friends had me by the arms and dragged me to a random locker: Locker 1018.

I tried fighting the girls off but for someone as small as me, that's not easy. I've never been stuffed in a locker before, and I don't plan to after this. Valencia and her friends squashed me into the small space and shut the door. Then they walked off laughing. I could hear them getting farther away. There was barely enough room to breathe let alone scream but I managed to anyways. Eventually, someone came.

"Hey who's in there?" I heard someone say. I could tell that it was a guy.

"Me," I said weakly. Stupid answer, I know. But I was suffering from lack of oxygen so it was a miracle I was conscious.

"Are you talking to your locker?" I heard another guy say.

"Someone's in here. I'm trying to do the combination on this thing," the other guy said. I didn't recognize the voice of either of them. I wonder if I'd live to know my rescuer.

THUD! I fell to the ground face first when the locker door was opened.

"Ow!" I said as I felt the bridge of my nose. It wasn't broken but you can bet that there'd be a bruise there soon. Perfect.

I looked to see who had opened the locker. Whoa. He had blond hair and was fairly tall, but I was concentrating more on his smoke-colored eyes. Did my heart just skip a beat? I went into a daze or a moment. The other guy had dark eyes and brown hair and was gaping widely at me.

"Are you okay?" the one with the smoky eyes asked. I nodded slightly then I immediately got up and ran to some random direction. Don't ask me why, I'm weird like that.

As I was leaving, I heard the other guy laughing. Then I heard, "Saban, shut up!"

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**A/N: Now, you might be wondering who Saban is or you've already figured it out. He's going to start showing up more in this story. And to Rugrats101 thanks for being my first reviewer. And Carly, Maya will be showing up too. Remember to R&R.**


	4. When Worlds Collide

**Chapter Four- When Worlds Collide**

**A/N: If you know at least Ponyboy ("Michael"), Kendi, and Cameron, you won't be too lost in this story. Oh, and Maya, too. (I didn't forget you, Carly)**

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Outsiders."

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**Cameron's POV**

"Saban, shut up!" I said. He was having a laughing fit over some girl falling out of my locker. I didn't think it was that funny.

"Oh, c'mon! Don't tell me you didn't think that was funny?" Saban said when he recovered.

"Not really," I answered. I wondered why she was in the locker in the first place. The locker must've been open before if she got in because it was locked when I got here.

I shoved my backpack in the locker and headed to English class while Saban went to French. After getting lost a couple times, I finally found the classroom. Most of the seats were taken and one of the only empty desks was next to a girl with dirty blond and a black hoodie. She was the girl in the locker. After scanning the room for another available seat, I saw that the only other available ones were next to people who looked ready to pound me. I think some of them were Jed's friends.

"Hey, you mind if I sit here?" I asked her. She looked up at me with wide eyes. She recognized me, too. She shook her head and I sat down.

"Welcome, class. I am Ms. Lisuke and you are in honors English." As Ms. Lisuke took attendance, I noticed that the girl was writing something. Her arm covered whatever she was writing. There was writing on her notebook, too. Instead of cutesy hearts or "Mrs. Orlando Bloom," like most girls I knew would write on their notebooks, this girl had band names and song titles written all over it. Cool.

After class, I tried to catch up with the mystery girl.

"Hey!" I said. She looked at me. Then she looked around as if she wasn't sure who I was talking to. "Yeah, you!" I said. I realized I didn't even know this girl's name and now I was calling for her. How dorky am I?

"Hi," she said shyly.

"Umm…" I started. "Well, uh…" Great. I sound like a frikkin' moron. "Well, I just wanted to know what happened earlier this morning. You know, at the locker?"

She looked at me and said, "It's a long story."

"How long?" I asked.

"Too long," she said. She started to walk off.

"Wait, what's your name?" I exclaimed.

She turned around and said, "My name's Kendi."

"I'm Cameron."

"See you later, Cameron," she said. Then she walked away to her next class. I walked, too, and joined my friends in social studies. But Kendi stayed in my mind throughout the class.

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**A/N: Yeah this ending is a little strange too and the chapter's kind of short but at least Cam and Kendi know each other. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can. R&R. Tell me if you like this story so far. Or you can flame me. Whatever works.**


	5. Unpleasant Moments in the Lunchroom

**Chapter Five- Unpleasant Moments at the Lunch Room**

**A/N: I don't think it takes a genius to know where this chapter takes place (see chapter title) And Jay (Ranmayuuske930), your character is Roxie like Roxy (you know who I'm talking about). I just spelled it differently (How is Roxy, anyways?). I think I'm going to have to say no more friends in the story or I might forget what the heck I'm writing about. But I might change my mind.**

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Outsiders." Most likely, neither do you.

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**Maya's POV**

I was leaving for study hall when I saw Kendi coming out of her Geometry class. The weird thing is, she was talking to a guy while walking out! The guy was hot, too. He had blond hair and gray eyes. He was also on the tall side. He was really cute! And Kendi was talking to him! Call me nosy, but I wanted to know what was going on. I casually walked behind the door and listened in. They didn't notice I was there, that I was even there.

"Hey, Kendi, do you want to eat with my friends and me at lunch?" said the ultra-cute boy.

"Uh, maybe. I'll see," Kendi said timidly. I could tell she didn't want to ditch us at our table. Roxie might blow a vessel if we just ditched the group for some guy. Still, I wanted to make Kendi say yes. This guy was totally worth it.

"Well, I was wondering if you did eat with us, you'd tell me why you were in my locker since it's such a long story." I saw Kendi blush. What was she doing in this guy's locker? I'll ask later.

"Umm, sure I'll see if I can sit with you." Say yes! How many times does a guy ask you to hang out with him? A cute guy, too? After the Ben Mackenzie look-alike left, I immediately went up to Kendi and asked what was going on.

"Who was that guy?" I asked.

"Whoa, Maya. You scared the crap out of me! Were you eavesdropping this whole time?"

"Maybe."

"Well, if you did, don't worry. I'll be eating with you and Roxie and not with him. Happy?" What the-

"You can't do that! Go eat with him! Roxie and I won't mind!" Kendi looked at me with an Are-you-sure-about-that? Expression.

"I won't mind, anyways," I said.

"I don't know… Can you come with me?" I knew I wouldn't be able to come.

"Sorry, but they want you, not me," I said.

"You already promised Roxie you'd eat with her and everyone else, huh?"

"Yeah." The thing is, Roxie, Kendi, and I eat with this group of people almost all the time. We're not really a clique; we just like to hang out together. Kendi never talks to anyone, however, and she never seems to like eating with those people. She talks mostly to Roxie and me. Maybe it'll be good if she eats with other people.

"Just go. Please?" I didn't want to endure another lunch hour watching her fiddle with her food. I wanted her to talk!

"Alright."

"By the way, what was he talking about with the locker thing?" Kendi looked at me embarrassed and then started to tell me about Valencia, the comments, and the insults that were thrown up until the point where Kendi was stuffed into a locker.

"Way to go! You stood up for yourself!"

"Yeah, and then I fell face flat in front of Cameron and his friend."

"Is Cameron that cute blond guy?" Her shy smile told me it was a yes.

**Roxie's POV**

Maya came up to me before we headed to lunch.

"Kendi won't be eating with us today," she said.

"What? She has to eat with us! Why not?" I said.

"She's going to eat with a guy." Maya said.

"What guy?"

"A cute guy named Cameron."

"So she's just gonna blow us off?" I said.

"She never said she'd sit with us today. Besides, do you remember the last time Kendi talked when we sit with those guys?" Honestly, I couldn't.

"I guess she doesn't have to sit with us all the time," I said reluctantly. Kendi said hi as she was walking past us on her way to the cafeteria.

"I hate you, Kendi!"

She looked at me and said, "I hate you, too!" Good. We have an understanding.

**Maya's POV**

Finally, it's lunchtime. Time for talking with your friends. And apparently, time to spy on our other friend.

"Why don't we try and see what Kendi's going to say with the guys," Roxie said.

"Are you crazy?" I said, even though I have done a little snooping myself.

"No, seriously, let's do it." Roxie's shirt had the words, "Warning: Dangerous when caffeinated!" I was wondering if Roxie had any coffee this morning. Knowing her, she probably drank the whole pot. That would explain why she was so single-minded on doing this.

"Well, what if Kendi catches us?"

"She won't. We'll just sit at a table near her so we can get a good view of what's going on." I decided to just give in. What could possibly happen?

"Okay," I finally said. Then we placed our trays on a table that was right behind the one Kendi just sat in. She was eating with Cameron and a couple of people that I recognized from my other classes. She wasn't really saying anything for a while. Suddenly, Valencia walked up to the table.

"Hey boys! Whatcha doing?"

**Kendi's POV**

Okay, after I decided to go eat with Cameron, I was wondering what I was getting into. When I got to the lunchroom, I thought Cameron had forgotten that he invited me. I was almost certain he did when I saw him eating with a bunch of guys at one of the tables. I planned on just eating with Roxie and Maya instead until he spotted me and yelled, "Hey, Kendi! Over here!" He hadn't forgotten after all.

When I came to the table, three other guys were there as well besides Cameron. He introduced me to them. Saban was the guy who with Cameron when I fell out of the locker (must I continuously relive that moment?). Jarod was this guy who was kind of cold and a little on the mean side but he didn't bother me much. He had green eyes and curly, gold hair. He also had a pierced ear. Zonks was a clown. He managed to get everyone to smile, even Jarod. He had a big grin, too, that never seemed to go away. He joked about that locker incident (ahh!)

"So, you're the girl Cam found in his locker. I think a simple hello would've been enough but I admire the creativity!" I blushed. It was hard to be mad at Zonks, even if he was constantly reminding me of what a klutz I am.

Another guy joined. His name was Rawley and he was actually a sophomore. I was wondering why he would want to hang out with a bunch of freshmen. It turned out that he and Cameron lived in the same neighborhood at one time. What happened?

Rawley wasn't a talker either but at least he said something. I just ate my food. Cameron noticed that I wasn't talking and tried to get me to join in.

"Hey, Kendi, you haven't said anything since you got here. What's up?" The whole table started looking at me. I knew I had to say something. But when I tried to open my mouth, someone else barged in.

"Hey, boys! Whatcha doing?" Valencia. Great.

"Uh… hi," Cam said sounding confused and a little annoyed. "What are you doing here?" Valencia and her two friends started giggling. God, they are morons! I bet you that Valencia's going to go brag about how Cameron actually spoke to her.

"Oh, we just wanted to hang out with you that's all." Cam looked annoyed. I was, too.

"By the way, you look really cool with your hair down like that," Valencia gushed. I rolled my eyes in disgust. Where's a bucket when you need one?

"Yeah… thanks," Cam said. Now he looked like he just wanted her gone. So did I. But I was willing to do something about it.

"Valencia, get lost!" I said. The whole table looked at me again, but I wasn't shy. Valencia looked at me and scrunched her nose.

"Eww! Who let the rat into this table? Someone call the exterminator!" Her friends laughed as if on cue. I knew I needed to say something back.

"Yeah, tell them there's a big-ass, red-haired rodent on the loose!" The guys laughed this time, but it sounded more like they actually thought it was funny, rather than on cue.

"We should've stuffed you in the sewers instead of the locker since that's where you belong anyways!"

"You're the one who stuffed her in my locker?" Cam said. Valencia looked horrified. I was the one laughing, now.

Valencia stalked off with her posse without saying another word.

"That was funny as hell, man!" Jarod said. He offered me a high-five.

"Did she really stuff you in Cam's locker?" Saban asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"Why?" Rawley said.

" 'Cause I told her to shut her goddamn mouth."

"Who can blame you?" Zonks said as he recalled Valencia gushing about Cam's hair. He shuddered and I let out a giggle.

"At least she's gone now," Cam said in relief. The bell rang abruptly and everyone filed out of the lunchroom.

"See you 'round, Kendi," Cam called to me. I didn't answer.

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**A/N: So what'd you think? R&R and tell me. Oh, and Roxie and Kendi don't really hate each other. It's a friend thing. I might not be able to write another chapter this weekend because I've got an audition for this arts high school I want to go to. I am nervous as heck and I'm only going for creative writing (Yes, they do auditions for writing). So you might not see another chapter until Monday unless I find a way to update earlier. Hope you like the story!**


	6. AfterSchool Aftermath

**Chapter Six- After-School Aftermath**

**A/N: I know. This story is going really slow but life doesn't really have a fast-forward button so what can you do? Anyways, only Kendi, Cameron, Rawley, and Cherry appear in this chapter (sorry Carly and Jay).**

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Outsiders." Who's surprised?

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**Rawley's POV**

I decided to go over to Cam's house after school. My aunt wouldn't be home until 5:30 anyways.

In case you're wondering, I've lived with my Aunt CeeCee ever since my parents died in that house fire when I was nine I was over at the Talons's that day. Dan was supposed to watch over Cam, Rodney, and me that day. I don't know where Mr. Talon was. I found out later, though.

My aunt and I live in a two-bedroom apartment. She does yoga on some days and doesn't come back until it's late. Sometimes Cameron comes over if he's had a fight with his brothers or something like that.

When we got to his house, it looked empty.

"I'm home," Cam said to the empty air. There was grumble coming from upstairs that startled Cam and me. It was Mr. Talon.

"Came home late from the bar?" I asked. I knew Cam's dad drank.

"I guess," he said. Cam told me that his father would go out at night to the bar on some nights and wouldn't come back until Cam and his brothers were asleep.

"We've got a few snacks in the fridge if you want," Cam added. Cool. I was given permission to raid the fridge!

**Cam's POV**

While Rawley was busy helping himself to M&M's and Gatorade I got out my Geometry book. I couldn't believe Mr. Danza assigned homework on the first day! That has to be against the law somewhere.

"Man, we've already got homework on the first day!" I said. Rawley shrugged.

"Welcome to high school, Cam," he said.

"Is ever day gonna be like this?"

"Nope. It gets much harder," Rawley chucked, "Much harder."

"You're helpful," I said sarcastically.

"Look on the bright side. You got a new girlfriend. Kenda's her name, right?"

"No, it's Kendi, and she's not my girlfriend."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Positive?"

"She's just a friend!" I yelled without meaning to.

"Alright, alright, sure. She's a 'friend.' I gotcha." I could hear Rawley still laughing.

**Kendi's POV**

"… and then I got to sit next to Greg Dathens, you know, the guy I've been crushing on since seventh grade? I think he got cuter over the summer. He got rid of his glasses so you can see how green his eyes are…" Adriane kept on talking so much that I wondered if she would ever shut her mouth.

I wasn't even paying attention so I wasn't really sure who she was talking to. I had my mp3 on and my ear buds were hidden behind my hair. I don't even care if Adriane can tell that I was listening to Green Day instead of her. I just want to get home.

My house isn't too far from the bus stop so I didn't have to walk too far.

"Bye," I said to Adriane. I didn't wait to see if she would answer.

"Hi, Mrs. Cur-, I mean Mom." I have to remind myself a lot that I wasn't the Curtises' foster kid anymore; I'm part of the family, now. It's not that I'm not happy to be adopted; it just takes me some time to get used to things. Even if those papers were signed two years ago.

"Hello, sweetie," Mom said. She was on the phone with some kid's parents. I'd be hearing about it at the dinner table.

Mom's really pretty. When I first came here as a foster child, I wanted to dye my hair the same red color that she had. It's graying now but I still think it's beautiful. She once told me that her friends called her Cherry because it was so red. Dad still calls her that.

Dad's got a funny name. Ponyboy. I wonder if his parents were drunk or high when they named him that. His older brother is my Uncle Sodapop. Were they smoking or something when they were born? Dad's oldest brother has a name that's a little closer to normal: Darryl. Also known as my Uncle Darry. He got lucky. Uncle Darry owns some construction company at Tulsa, Oklahoma where my dad grew up. I wonder why they moved to Connecticut. I once asked dad, but he said that he'd tell me when I was older. I'm older now, so will he tell me?

Everyone calls my dad Michael now. Everyone except for Mom, Uncle Darry, and Uncle Sodapop, that is.

I wonder if Mom and Dad could have a kid, would they name it Ponygirl if it were a girl? Would they name it Horseboy if it were a boy? How about Mare and Stallion? Maybe Ponyboy Jr. or Ponyboy II? What about Dr. Pepper in honor of Uncle Sodapop? Or even Coca Cola or Pepsi or Sprite. The possibilities are endless! But I don't think you would want to saddle your kid with a weird name unless you were purposely trying to get them to be the laughingstock of the school, especially if you were saddled with a strange name yourself. My name's not that normal either. I wonder what _my_ parents were smoking when they named me Kendi.

I went up the stairs to my bedroom. There was a full-length mirror on one of my walls and I saw myself in it. I looked depressed and my hair was a mess. I remembered Valencia's comment on my hair.

"_So, what'd you do? Stick your finger in an outlet?"_

"Screw Valencia!" I said out loud. I don't care what that bitch thought. She can just go burn in hell.

**Cherry's POV**

I just got off the phone with Tommy's parents. Tommy was being a little too rowdy with some of the kids. Kendi was upstairs and I was curious about what she was doing. I thought I heard her yell something.

"Kendi, are you okay?"

"Yes, Mom!" she said.

"What are you doing up there?"

"Nothing. Uh, just homework."

"On the first day?"

"Yeah, it's on Geometry."

I went upstairs to check on her. She was in her room with her Geometry book open.

"Hi, Mom," she said. I noticed something on her face.

"Is that a bruise on your nose, Kendi?" Kendi felt the bridge of her nose.

"Um, yeah. I tripped and fell this morning," she explained.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes."

"Okay. So how was school?"

"It was good." What did she mean by good? Was it great? Horrible? Fantastic? Sometimes I just wanted a few details.

"How are Maya and Roxie doing?" I asked. Maya and Roxie are the only friends of Kendi that I know of. I don't know if she had any more, but Maya once told me that she didn't. I was hoping she would make new friends during high school.

"They're fine." Kendi looked busy so I decided to leave her alone and star making dinner. Pony should be home in about an hour or so. I hope the kids haven't given him too much trouble.

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**A/N: Hey, I found a way to update sooner! That audition was nerve-racking. Now I have to wait until May to find out if I made it into the school or not (Why must they torture us like this?). Have fun at your audition, Jay! Oh, and the next chapter will be up as soon as I get 100 reviews. Just kidding!** **It'll be up as soon as I finish writing it, which may be tomorrow or Monday. I don't know yet. Until then, R&R everyone!**


	7. Blood and Bruises

**Chapter Seven- Blood and Bruises**

**A/N: The title is not referencing to Kendi's bruised nose. This chapter is a little darker than the other ones and it show another side of Cameron. No one will be falling out of a locker this time. There's a long flashback in here, though. Get ready for more of them.**

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Outsiders" but I do own the song, "Blood and Bruises."

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**Rodney's POV**

It's the second day of school, and we're back in the hallway of Kesata High. While I was trying to navigate through the crowd, I saw my little brother, Cameron. He seemed to be looking for someone.

"Kendi!" I heard him say. Who the heck is Kendi?

"Hey, buddy! How you doing?" I said as I punched him in the arm. Cam let out a painful groan.

"Ow!" he yelled.

"Oh, sorry. Is that arm still sore?" I said. I forgot about Cam's arm being bruised.

"No, I just like to pretend I'm in searing pain. Of course it's still sore!" he said angrily.

"Sorry! Geez, you don't have to chew my head off! How late did you stay up last night? You're a little cranky," I said. Cam sometimes stayed up to write songs or practice guitar or whatever he wanted to do. Somehow, he always stays up when it's a school night.

"Way too late," he said.

"You think you can limit your songwriting sessions to weekends and actually during the day?" I asked.

"Inspiration sometimes comes at inconvenient times," he said. I laughed a bit then I got a little serious.

"You okay from last night?" I asked.

"I think so," he said. But I looked into those gray eyes of his and saw that he really wasn't over it yet. I don't blame him.

_Flashback_

Dan had just come home from his job at the auto shop. It was 7:00. I came home from my job at the food court in the mall at around five.

"Hey everybody," he said. I was on the couch watching CSI. Cam had fallen asleep on his Geometry book. I saw Dan smile at our sleeping brother. Dan tried to wake him up.

"Cam, wake up. You wont be able to dream up the answers. Believe me, I've tried," he said. I knew I had to help Cam with his homework in some way.

"You know there are answers in the back of your textbook," I said keeping my eyes glued to the TV.

"Oh, now you tell me," he said groggily. Dan glared at me.

"Try to do them on your own, Cam. Don't look for shortcuts. They won't really help you."

"They'll help me with my homework," Cam said.

"Don't use the answer key, okay," Dan said.

"Alright," Cam gave in. But I knew that Cam would peek into the back of the book when Dan wasn't looking. That's just the way Cameron Talon is. That's the way I am, too.

Dad came down the stairs a few minutes later. He was about six feet tall and he had light brown hair and bluish-gray eyes. Dad was drunk, you could tell.

"Hey, boys! What's up?" he said.

"Hi, Dad," Cam said before going back to his Geometry homework

"Hey, Dad," Dan said as he popped a TV dinner into the microwave. Cam and I already had a couple of burgers for dinner.

"Hi, Dad. How's it been?" I said taking my eyes off the TV. Dad had bloodshot eyes and he seemed to have trouble standing. He looked flushed, too.

"Fine, Rod. Jus' fine." Then he turned to Dan and Cameron. "At least one boy here asks how his father how he's doing instead of stopping at a simple 'hi!'" Dad's words were so slurred that all I heard was, "Grumblemumblemuttersimplehigh," and I didn't think Dan and Cameron would get it either. But somehow, Cam understood what our dad was saying.

"Sorry, Dad. I was just working on homework. Do you know anything about Geometry?" Dad scratched his head.

"Wasn't never that good in school. Wait, what the hell are you doin' takin' a class like Geometry? Ain't you only in ninth grade? You sure as hell can't be that smart." Cam ignored him. Dad said stuff like that to him all the time. He was numb to it by now. Still, I couldn't help but stand up for my younger brother.

"Dad, Cam is smart kid, you know. Smarter than you think, probably. Haven't you ever seen his report card?" That was true. Cam was a straight A and B student. A few Cs here and there but never any Fs.

"Ah, grades don't show intelligence," he said. I don't think he knew what he was talking about. Dad wobbled a little but got back his balance, what little he had of it, anyways.

"I'm okay. Jus' a little woozy, that's all," he said. I was starting to consider taking a day off from work tomorrow to take care of dad and his inevitable hangover. Cam sure couldn't do it by himself, even with Rawley's help.

"That's what you get for drinking shit like that every night," I heard Cam say under his breath. It's no secret in this household that Dad's drinking annoyed Cam. It annoyed me as well. Dad would always act and sound stupid when he drank. I still remember Dad before he started drinking. He was nothing like this clumsy figure that stood before us. Dan knew this too.

"What'd you say, boy?" Dad said. This surprised Cam. He didn't expect Dad to hear him and neither did I.

"Nothing," Cam said.

"Boy, if you have something to say, say it!"

"I didn't say anything!" Cam said defensively. Dad wouldn't listen.

"Dad, leave him alone," Dan said.

"Not until he learns to face someone instead of hiding behind his books!" With that, he grabbed Cam by the arm and threw him to the ground. Dan and I got ready to help Cam, but Cam got up on his own and pushed Dad back. This only made dad angrier.

"Stop it, you guys!" I yelled. But Dad had already shoved Cam into the door with great force into a wall. Dad started to hit him again and Dan and I tried our best to restrain him. It wasn't too hard considering how drunk Dad was.

"Cam, go to your room, NOW!" Dan yelled. Cam said nothing and he quickly scrambled to his feet and ran upstairs. I heard a door slam.

"Dad, calm down!" I said. When he finally did, he went and took a seat on the couch.

"What have I done?" he said between drunken sobs. Dan and I could only stare.

_End Flashback_

Sometimes, Dad would hit me or even Dan. Mostly, though, Cam received most of the blows. We knew why, too. For some reason, Dad blamed Cam for our mother's death. She died in a car accident a few years back. I was ten, Dan was twelve, and Cameron was only eight. Eight years old, and he experiences what a car crash can feel like. It was a miracle that he was alive. You'd think Dad would be thankful that his son survived the crash, but all he could think about was his dead wife. That was when he started drinking.

**Cameron's POV**

I gave up looking for Kendi and I tried to remember my schedule. If yesterday was an A day then today is a B day which means my first period class should be Spanish. Perfecto.

When I got to the Spanish room, I saw that Kendi was sitting at one of the tables. I just wasted time looking for a girl who was already in my first period class! No one else was sitting with Kendi at her table so I joined her.

"Hey," I said. She looked up at me.

"Hi."

"I was looking for you in the halls," I said.

"You were?" She sounded surprise as if she didn't ever expect someone to be looking for her.

"Yeah, the guys wanted to know if you wanted to sit with us in lunch again," I said remembering how Rawley wanted to know what Kendi would say if Valencia didn't come. He called me on my cell phone yesterday.

"So, do you?" I asked again.

"Sure," she said.

"Buenos días, clase. ¿Cómo estás?" Señora Hernandez said as she walked into the classroom. Class has started.

I did my best to pay attention but instead of looking over the list of class rules we were given, I reread the song I wrote last night.

Blood and Bruises 

_ VERSE1 _

_I know you don't care at all_

_I know you won't catch me if I fall_

_You'll stare down and laugh_

_As you drink your liquid of death_

_You'll tell me I'm worthless_

_And that living is useless_

_You won't care about hurting me inside_

_Or what you're doing with my mind_

_ CHORUS _

_I'll show you my blood and bruises_

_The ones that you gave me_

_I'll show you my blood and bruises_

_And then maybe you'll see_

_That you're killing me inside  
VERSE2 _

_It's no use trying_

_I can see you're dying_

_Get some help, that's what they say_

_But you'd rather take your rage_

_Out on someone else_

_Instead of looking at yourself_

_You don't want to face the truth_

_That the problem is you  
BRIDGE _

_You don't care; you don't wanna fix what you have done_

_It doesn't matter, but it won't be long before I'm gone_

_Before I'm gone_

_Before I'm gone  
_

I know, it's not the best but it's not like I'll be showing this to Jarod, Zonks, and Saban. They wouldn't understand what it's about. Rawley might, though.

**Kendi's POV**

I was writing lyrics into my notebook. Not just any lyrics, but my lyrics. So, I wasn't really paying attention to Señora Hernandez. I think she figured that, too, because she called on me to look at one of the class rules.

"Kendi, what does rule number three state?" she said knowing that my mind was somewhere else.

"Uh…" I fumbled for the class rules, "It states that… students must pay attention to the teacher at all times during class."

"That is correct, gracias." I let out a sigh of relief. I think I saw Cameron smiling at me, but I pretended not to notice.

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**A/N: I did write the song, "Blood and Bruises." It's not the best one I've written but it fit with the story. Flame me for writing an Emo song if you want. You'll be reading Kendi's lyrics on another chapter. There's going to be more flashbacks in this story just to let you know. R&R if you like this story and if you don't, tell me what I can improve on.**


	8. The Rumor About Guinesborro High

**Chapter Eight- The Rumor About Guinesborro High**

**A/N: Despite what the title might lead you to believe, this chapter does not take place the school where Ponyboy works. I'm trying to bring this story back to what happened in "The Outsiders," so some of these things might seem familiar.**

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Outsiders" and I never will.

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**Kendi's POV**

Lunchtime, again. I was eating with the guys again. Maybe I'll actually say something this time. I wonder if I'll be able to avoid saying anything stupid. Especially in front of Cam. He's been really nice to me and I don't think it's an act. I think he might be nice to me just because I fell out of his locker. I don't care, though. He has nice eyes. They're smoky colored and they aren't hard or tough and if you looked into them, they wouldn't force you to look away. I'd never say this out loud to him on account of how he kind of freaked when Valencia told him his hair looked cool. I didn't want him to stop talking to me. Hey, I can live being his friend for the rest of my life. God, I'm daydreaming about a guy I've only known for two days. Something is definitely wrong with me. When I got to the table, Rawley and Jarod were already there. I sat down in one of the chairs across from them. I noticed Roxie and Maya were taking seats at one of the tables nearby. They were spying on me, I could tell. But it doesn't matter really. They can't do anything wrong at this point.

"Hi," I said trying to at least say something.

"Hey," Rawley said.

" 'Sup," Jarod said coolly. Soon, Zonks joined us.

"Hey, Locker Girl's back!" he said grinning at me. I tried to smile back but I'm not sure if I did.

"Did Cam and Saban get stuck in the back of the line again?" Jarod asked.

"I think Cam did but Saban'll be here in a few." Then Saban showed up.

"Hi, guys," he said, then he saw me and added, "And girl."

"Hi," I said quietly.

"Kendi's your name, right?" Saban said as he attempted to eat what the cafeteria called "food." Why do they serve us this shit anyways?

"Yeah." I started using a plastic knife to scrape at the edge of my Styrofoam tray. Hey, I wasn't interested in trying to eat an artificial French toast stick. Last time I did, I ended up puking in the bathroom after school. I only got it today because there was nothing else to choose from. I figured that if I just drank the milk and fruit, I'd be all right. The graham crackers that Maya gave me might help too.

"Well, uh…" Saban started unsure of what he was going to say.

"Why is it that you barely talk with us but when that other girl comes along, you've got plenty to say?" Jarod asked me. I took a moment to think.

"I don't know. I guess it's because Valencia's a bitch and when she says bitchy things to me, I have to say something bitchy to her."

"That makes sense. What'd you say her name was? Valencia?" Zonks said.

"Yeah, a snotty name for a snotty girl," I said.

"I'm still wondering why she came to our table. None of us really know her except for you," said Zonks.

"She seemed to know Cameron," I said.

"Cam didn't seem to know her, though," Rawley remarked.

"I don't know then," I said.

"Hey," Cameron said as he took a seat next to me. His eyes seemed to glint a little when he smiled at me. I guess he was glad I decided to come eat with them again.

"Took you long enough to get here!" Jarod said as he gave Cam a punch in the arm.

"Ow! Don't punch that arm. It's a little sore," he said. He seemed to be in more pain than you would expect from a single blow to the arm.

"Cameron, are you alright? What's wrong?" I said. Call me a worrywart but I couldn't help wondering why his arm hurt him so much.

"Oh, nothing. I, uh, fell off my skateboard yesterday and bruised my arm real bad," he said. He couldn't meet my eye when he said that. Mom once said that if someone doesn't look you directly in the eye when they're explaining something to you, they're most likely lying. Or there was something wrong with their eye. I doubt there was anything wrong with Cam's eyes so is he lying?

"Are you sure, Cam?" Rawley asked. I think he suspected a fib, too.

"Of, course he's sure!" Jarod said. "Cam's accident-prone! Last week he bumped his head on a bookcase then one of the books fell and hit him on his skull and he ended up with a baseball-sized lump on his forehead!" Could that really happen?

"Yeah, that's me. Accident-prone. Heh heh." Cam said with a less-than-believable chuckle. I think only Rawley and I saw that Cam was hiding something.

"Hey again! Happy to see me?" Valencia's back. Joy to the world.

"Not really," I muttered. She heard.

"Oh, you again," Valencia said a little agitated.

"Yeah, me again. And what happened? Your posse got sick of hanging out with a rat like you?" I said. Tina and Kathy, the two girls who were usually by Valencia's side, were nowhere to be found.

"They're at lunch detention at the moment," she said, "not that it's any of your business."

"What'd they get caught doing? It's only the second day of school," Saban said sarcastically.

"No one asked you to talk!" Valencia yelled.

"No one asked you to come to this table," I said. I heard oohs coming from the guys.

"That's a pretty big statement," Valencia said with a sneer, "for someone who's got a convict as a father."

"Huh?" I said. What the hell was she talking about?

"Well, I there's this rumor going around that a teacher at Guinesborro High was caught in a murder rap back in the sixties," she said. Guinesborro High. That's where my dad works.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Jarod said. Rawley had a different view.

"Do they know which teacher it is?" he asked.

"They said that he originally lived in Oklahoma," Valencia said. Oklahoma. My dad grew up there. Is this why they moved to Connecticut?

"And this is supposed to matter to us?" Saban said.

"Well, I wouldn't want people to be too surprised when they hear on the news that a private school teacher's been outed as a murderer." And with that, Valencia left.

I was stunned. Was my dad a murderer? No, I couldn't think that. He's my dad, after all. He couldn't hurt anyone much less take someone's life. But what if Valencia's telling the truth? Maybe there was some other Oklahoma native with a record working at Guinesborro. Surely, my dad's heard about it. Maybe that's why he was okay with me going to a public school instead of the one he worked at. I don't know. Maybe, I'm getting worked up over nothing. Maybe Valencia's trying to freak me out or something. But she doesn't know my dad lived in Oklahoma. Maybe she was just taking a guess and she got lucky.

"Hey, Kendi, is something wrong? You got quiet again," Cam asked me. I wanted to lie and say that everything was fine, but then I thought about how Cam was lying and wouldn't admit it. Most likely, they would be able to tell if I lie.

"I'm thinking about what Valencia said," I told them.

"Ah, don't worry. What's a murderer at a private school gonna do with us?" Jarod said.

"My dad works at that private school," I said, "as a teacher." That's when the guys started to realize where I was coming from.

"You don't think your dad is the one Valencia's talking about?" Saban asked me.

"I don't want to, but Valencia mentioned that the teacher was from Oklahoma. That's where my dad grew up before he moved here."

"Do you know why he moved here?" Zonks asked.

"No, Dad told me he'd tell me when I was 'older.'"

"When was that?" Cam asked.

"Two years ago."

"I think it's safe to ask him now," Zonks said.

It got quiet after that and I couldn't help thinking about my dad and what Valencia said. Could my dad really kill anyone? If it's true, does my mom know or is he hiding it from her too? I wish I'd heard this from Dad and not Valencia. I'd understand it more if I did hear it from him. But if it's not true and Valencia's lying then… she's more of bitch than I thought. How dare she spread lies like that about my own family? I started to get a little angry. A little at Valencia. A little at Dad. And a little bit at everything else. I didn't like being scared and I was at the moment. Scared of what the truth might be. I don't like fear; it's hard for me to control. Too hard. I started to feel like everything was out of control again. Too many thoughts are swirling in my head. I need a release.

I took the plastic knife and said, "I need to go to the bathroom." Then I ran. When I got to the bathroom, it was empty. Good. I was alone.

I entered one of the empty stalls. I sat on the toilet seat and I pulled my sleeve up. On my arm there were already scars from previous occasions. I took the knife and placed the sharp edge against the middle of my forearm. Slowly and carefully I sank the knife into my skin and created an opening. The pain from it relieved whatever had been bothering me before. I made a few more slits. Soon my arm had a display of open wounds. They didn't bleed, but the sting was enough to alleviate the hurt. Just one cut, and I'll be okay, I thought, although I had made way more than just one cut. At least I was feeling better now.

I washed up my arm and threw then knife away. I hid it under a bunch of paper towels so no one would notice. When I walked out of the bathroom, Cam was standing next to the door.

"You were taking a long time so I thought I would make sure everything's okay," he said.

"I'm okay," I said. For now. I knew we were going to be late for our next class, but Cam didn't seem to care. Neither did I.

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**A/N: If you have read "The Outsiders" before, you have an idea of what's going on as far as the rumor is concerned. For those of you who haven't, well, let's just say that rumors go from person to person and sometimes the facts are twisted in and out and you end up with one screwed up version of the truth. Oh, and about the comment of Valencia being a snotty name, that was just for the dialogue and I don't mean to offend anyone whose name may be "Valencia." And just as a warning: there will be many more parts of this story where Kendi will cut herself. If this bothers you, let me know and I'll try to tone down those parts. R&R **


	9. Who's Paul Newman?

**Chapter Nine- Who's Paul Newman?**

**A/N: So how am I doing with this? Hope it's not going to slowly. I'll start to speed it up a little. If anyone didn't catch it, Pony's never really told Kendi about what happened in Oklahoma and now he has to figure out a way to straighten her out with this rumor that's been going around. **

Disclaimer: Must I say it again? I don't own "The Outsiders."

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**Pony's POV**

After dinner, I started putting the dishes in the dishwasher. Once I put the last one in, Kendi came up to me with a peculiar question.

"Dad, why did you move from Oklahoma to Connecticut?"

I'd heard this question before and I've been meaning to let Kendi know about what had happened with Bob, the Socs, Johnny, and everything else that happened all those years ago. But how do you explain all those events to one fourteen-year-old girl?

"Why are you asking that, Kendi?" I said.

"Just curious," she answered, but I could see that there was something she wasn't telling me.

"What is it, Kendi?" I said. She looked away from me and seemed to be looking for a way to tell me what was going on. She reminded me of someone with the way she looked so lost and nervous. Almost like a puppy that's been abandoned too many times. Almost like…

"It's just that… there's this rumor going around school about a teacher from Guinesborro High getting mixed up in some murder rap back in Oklahoma, and I just wanted to find out if…" she started to fade away. I knew she was wondering if the rumor was about me. My question is how did she hear about this? It's not like I tell many people about it.

"Well, uh, that rumor is partly true," I said. Kendi's eyes grew wide with worry. "But it didn't happen like that. What happened was that… that…" I give lectures to many kids at a time when I teach. I talk about a mile a minute and when I could still keep on talking when there wasn't anything else to say. So how can I have trouble explaining this one thing to my own daughter?

"You really did kill someone?" Kendi said.

"No! No, I wasn't the one who did the killing and…" I thought of an idea of how to explain this. I would let her see it for herself. Not literally, but in some sense.

"Wait here, Kendi," I said. I went to my briefcase and pulled out the one piece of writing that I'd kept from my high school years. The composition for Mr. Symes. It was yellowing on the edges but it was still readable. The letter A was written at the top of the first page with a comment from Mr. Symes: "Great Work Ponyboy! This showed a lot of effort!"

I showed the essay to Kendi and said, "I wrote this a while back when I was about your age. It's about what had happened back when I was living in Oklahoma. I want you to read it-"

"You want me to read your old essay?" Kendi said.

"I want you to read it and understand what happened and why it's difficult to explain this to you." Kendi took the essay gently and I added, "If you have any questions about some of the things that are said in this, ask me." Kendi nodded and I got ready to start planning tomorrow's lesson.

"Dad?" Kendi called out to me.

"Yes, Kendi?" I said.

"Who's Paul Newman?" I smiled and explained to her one of the toughest looking guys I'd ever seen at that time.

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**A/N: Yeah, I know. It's short. But the next chapter's gonna be longer. Way longer. I don't know if you remember the first chapter, but in it, Ponyboy mentioned that Kendi had lost someone close to her. The next chapter's going to be all about what happened in Kendi's POV. R&R**


	10. When Lives Shatter

**Chapter Ten- When Lives Shatter**

**A/N: If anyone remembers the first chapter, Pony mentioned Kendi losing someone close to her. Well, this is the chapter where Kendi starts to tell it in her own words (that I have written). This is also where Kendi reads "The Outsiders" and she starts recognizing some of the other characters and where she's met them blah, blah, blah… you get the picture.**

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Outsiders." The lawyers can leave now.

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**Kendi's POV**

I read Dad's essay like he told me to at the dining table. The name "Dally" caught my attention. Somehow I vaguely remember hearing about him somewhere. Dad's never mentioned him as far as I know, so I don't have a clue of how that's possible.

I remembered a few people. There was Uncle Darry and Uncle Sodapop, of course. I think I met Steve a while back when Uncle Soda came to visit. He was okay. When I read Dad's description of Uncle Sodapop, I knew that there really were things that never changed. Uncle Soda's still a happy-go-lucky type of guy and he's a lot of fun to be around. I was confused with his description of Uncle Darry. He said that Uncle Darry didn't really care for him. That couldn't be true. He said that Darry just saw him as a burden. I thought Darry was a really caring person. I guess he sometimes didn't show it.

I remembered Two-Bit. I met him last year when he came for a visit. He was funny and always got everyone to smile. Some people call him by his real name, Keith, but he lets me and my dad and uncles call him Two-Bit. He gave me a switchblade for my birthday once. He even sent the receipt to prove to Dad that it was paid for and not stolen.

There was another guy I didn't recognize, Johnny. I kind of felt sorry for him. He went through a lot according to Dad. His parents either hit him or ignore him completely and on top of that, a bunch of Socs jump him and nearly kill him. Dad did mention that Johnny was a close friend of his in his writing so why haven't I heard of him? I thought about asking Dad if I could meet him sometime after I finished reading this.

The next few pages were a blur. Dally was being a jerk to Mom at the movies and Mom ended up splashing the Coke he bought for her on him. Way to go, Mom. Then there was a part where Uncle Darry hit Dad. Huh? Did that really happen? Then Dad ran away and Johnny joined him mostly because Johnny's parents wouldn't give a damn if he were missing or gone. That's kind of sad. If I had run away, my parents would worry themselves sick.

As I got on one with Dad's memoir (could you call it that?) I figured out why it was so hard for him to talk about this. After Johnny killed Bob, the Soc, they went to Dally and then Dally directed them to a place called Windrixville and to a church on Jay Mountain. That was where Dad and Johnny stayed for about five days. Dad had to cut his hair and bleach it. I tried to imagine Dad with blond hair instead of his usual graying reddish-brown. I had to prevent myself from laughing. But when I thought about it more, somehow I got an image of Cameron. Weird.

Later, Dally shows up and Dad and Johnny decide to go back and turn themselves in. It was self-defense after all. What would you do if a bunch of guys were trying to drown your best friend in a fountain and you had a blade sticking out of your pocket? I know I would've stabbed someone.

After that, I started to realize that I would never have a chance to meet Johnny. He and Dad had saved a bunch of kids in a burning building and a piece of timber hit Johnny. Johnny was permanently paralyzed and soon after a rumble with the Socs, Dally and Dad go visit him. That's when they witness Johnny's death. Then Dad wrote that Dally broke down and then pretty much had himself killed by the police. No wonder Dad didn't want to talk about this. Two of his close friends died. I suddenly felt an urge to tell Dad about… that thing. God, I wish that never happened. One of the major differences between Dad's friends' deaths and my big sister's death is the fact that I actually could've prevented it from happening. I could've done something. And I didn't.

I was only ten years old. Barely in the double digits. Dana was fourteen. She was my big sister. Well, not exactly. You see, I don't have any siblings that I know of. Dana's the closest thing I'd ever had to a sister. We met when I was put into one of the foster homes when I was six. Dana was there too and she was ten at the time. I'd never been in a foster home before and Dana took care of me the whole time. She let me call her my big sister and I always did. I thought that someday we'd get adopted together and we'd be sisters legally. Sadly, it'll never happen now.

_Flashback_

"Dana, who are we going to live with this time?" I said as we sat in the backseat of Ms. Crystal's car.

"I think Ms. Crystal said we'd be living with this lady named Ms. Coley," Dana told me. Ms. Crystal was our social worker and she was driving us to our new foster home. I was nervous.

When we got to the house, I said, "It looks like a Mother Goose house, Dana."

"It does, huh?" she said not even glancing at the house.

"Really, look at the colors!" Dana finally looked. The house was bright yellow and had fire engine red shutters. The bold colors made my eyes hurt when I looked at it.

"That is one weird house," Dana said.

"Now girls, remember, it's what's on the inside that counts. Neither of us paid attention.

When we got out of the car, I was the first one to the door. Ms. Crystal followed me and Dana was taking forever to get there.

"Can I ring the doorbell, now?" I asked.

"Wait until Dana gets here, sweetie," Ms. Crystal said. Ms. Crystal's nice. She has curly red- orange hair and green eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses.

When Dana finally arrived, I pushed the doorbell several times.

"I think they heard you, dear," Ms. Crystal said sweetly.

A woman with graying blond hair answered the door. I immediately grabbed onto Dana's arm. I usually do that when I start to meet new people.

"Hello, Ms. Coley. I'm Sadie Crystal. We talked on the phone this morning and I told you we'd be coming today. This is Dana and Kendi," Ms. Crystal said. Ms. Coley smiled at us. It was a friendly smile, a welcoming one.

"How lovely," she said. "It'll be nice having a couple of girls here for a change. Come in." Ms. Coley brought us to the family room. I kept a firm grip on Dana's arm.

"You can let go of my arm, Baby Sis. You're starting to cut off my circulation," Dana said jokingly. "Baby Sis" is Dana's nickname for me. She's the only person I'd let call me "Baby." I'm small and I don't like being reminded of it a lot.

I reluctantly let go of Dana's arm. We sat down on a sofa.

"Boys, come down here and meet our new guests!" Ms Coley called.

A brown haired boy came down the stairs. He was tall and looked to be about Dana's age, if not older.

"Gordon, where's your brother, Demitri?" Ms. Coley asked. Gordon shrugged.

"I don't know. I can't keep track of the little squirt," he said. Then I saw another brown haired boy come down the stairs. He stopped at the middle of the steps instead of joining us like Gordon did. This one looked to be about my age.

"Demitri, what are you doing over there?" Ms. Coley said. The boy didn't say anything.

Ms. Crystal left after dropping us off. Gordon, who turned out to be fifteen, was talking to Dana. They seemed to be getting along. I just sat on the couch watching them talk. Dana was leaning against the wall and Gordon was standing in front of her. I don't know what they were talking about.

"Is Dana your sister?" the boy next to me asked. It was Demitri. I forgot he was sitting next to me.

I was surprised by his question. No one really ever thought of Dana and me being related. It was mostly because Dana was cool and I wasn't. Dana was pretty, too. She was medium height and had long, black hair that went down to the middle of her back, pale skin, and coal-black eyes. She was kind and almost never lost her temper. I get angry easily when someone bugs me. I try not to but I can never help it. Dana says it helps if you just ignore whatever anyone says. Easy for her to say. No one's ever said anything bad about her.

"Not really, not by blood anyways," I said. "Why?"

"It's just that I saw you clinging on her arm. I thought that if were gonna depend on her like that, you must've known her like a sister," Demitri said. I didn't day anything. "I sometimes cling onto Gordon when I'm scared." I looked at him.

"Really?" I said. Most people thought it was unnatural for me to cling on Dana like I did.

"Yeah," Demitri said looking a little bit embarrassed about telling me how he clung onto his big brother. "You want to play a board game or something?"

"Sure." We went to the living room and got out games like Scrabble Jr., Life, and Monopoly. Demitri told me a lot while we were playing including how they're parents died and they ended up living with Ms. Coley as foster kids. We became fast friends just as Gordon and Dana did.

At the start of fifth grade, Demitri and I ended up in the same class. I also met this kid named Emmet. He was one of Demitri's friends. Emmet had red hair and a freckled face and had black-rimmed glasses over his eyes. He was kind of annoying.

"Why do you hang out with Demitri so much?" Emmet said.

"Because he's my friend," I answered.

"Right," he scoffed. He gets on my nerves a lot.

Dana said that a lot of boys are like that. She told me a lot of things and gave me some advice. One happened to be if a guy were being mean to you, a good punch in the shoulder would shut them up. I liked it when Dana and I talked. It made me really feel like she was my big sister. She even shared secrets with me.

_End Flashback (temporarily)_

Why did she tell me her secrets? I don't even remember half of them. I was ten. How was I supposed to understand?

_Back to Flashback_

We raced to the house. We were coming back from school. It was a warm October day, perfect for racing. I was just about to beat Demitri when I tripped over something. I knew it had to be Demitri's foot. What other reason would it be doing in front of me? I swear, I could kill him.

"I beat you!" Demitri panted when he got to the front door. I got there a few moments later.

"I tripped! That's why you beat me!" I said.

"Maybe you're just slow!" Demitri said.

"Maybe you should keep your foot out of my way!" I said.

"Maybe you brats should shut up!" Gordon yelled from the family room. He was watching some MTV show.

Our argument ceased, but I did whisper to Demitri, "I'll beat you next time!"

I went upstairs while Demitri joined Gordon on the couch.

"Dana?" I said as I carefully opened the door to the room that Dana and I shared. I saw Dana sitting on her bed. Her back was towards me but I could still see the slits in her arm. She's bleeding.

"Are you okay? Why are you bleeding?" I said. Dana looked at me with a horrified face. She wasn't expecting me. I knew I had to help her.

"No, it's okay. Can you give me a few tissues?" I didn't listen to the "I'm okay" part.

"Should I get Ms. Coley?" I said desperately. Dana looked at me wide-eyed.

"Don't tell Ms. Coley, please!" I still wouldn't listen. The sight of blood made me insane.

"I'll go get Gordon. He can help," I said wondering why Dana didn't want me to tell anyone.

"No, don't say anything just give me…"

"You're bleeding! I need to get some kind of help! I'll go get someone…"

"SHUT UP! Don't tell anyone! Just give me the damn tissues!" Dana cried. Silence followed. I'd never heard Dana swear, at least not towards me.

I reached over to the Kleenex box and handed Dana a handful of tissues but I didn't think it would help clean up the blood. I watched her desperately try to rub the blood off. I heard her yelp a little in pain from the stinging. I couldn't do anything.

When Dana got the bleeding to stop, I asked, "What happened?"

Dana stared off into space. I couldn't tell if she was trying to figure out how to explain it or if she was trying to form some kind of lie.

"I cut myself," she said finally.

"By accident?" I asked.

"On purpose." What? I just stared at her like a dummy. Why would she do that to herself on purpose?

"Why?"

"It's complicated." Avril Lavigne's song, "Complicated," entered my mind uninvited. I must've seen too much bleeding.

_End Flashback (for now)_

I didn't really get what was going on at the time. I do now. But if I knew then, could I have helped her?

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**A/N: Is this getting to confusing? It'll clear up soon. I had to make this a little shorter than I wanted because I didn't want anyone to hurt his or her eyes by reading all of this on the computer. There's a part Two to this flashback and I'll post that up in the next chapter. I hope no one was confused by the breaks in the flashback. In the meantime, R&R.**


	11. When Lives Shatter Part Two

**Chapter Eleven- When Lives Shatter Part Two**

**A/N: I will now finish the flashback that was started back in Chapter Ten. I hope you guys aren't too confused. Some of these characters won't seem important now, but I might have them be later on. I hope you like it so far!**

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Outsiders" but I do own the characters you don't recognize.

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**Kendi's POV**

_Continue Flashback_

Dana made me promise not to tell anyone what I saw her do. She never begged me like that before so I figured she was being serious. She really didn't want to be caught.

I still asked Dana why she did it, though. If I was going to keep it a secret, shouldn't I at least know what's going on?

"It's hard to explain," she said. I was actually listening this time. "I just cut because… 'cause… 'cause… Oh, I don't know how to say it!"

"It's just me you're talking to. I won't be mad," I said.

Dana seemed to be looking for reasons for her behavior. She finally whispered to me, "I'm scared."

"Scared of what?" Dana took another moment to think.

"A lot of things." Dana fell silent again. "This guy at school wants me to be his girlfriend."

"Which guy?" I asked.

"Chris." I shuddered. Chris was this sophomore at Dana's school. He's a year older than her. Why would she go out with him? He's rude. And mean. Meaner than Emmet could possibly be.

"So?" I said trying to be supportive. I knew Dana had a crush on Chris. She always talked about him.

"It seems weird 'cause he's older and stuff like that. I'm not sure if I'm ready." Dana smiles. "You know, it's funny. A lot of girls my age have already had a ton of boyfriends and I haven't even had my first kiss. I'm such a loser." I knew that wasn't true. If anyone was a loser, it was me.

"You're not a loser," I said.

"I don't know. When you're known as a foster kid at school, some people look at you differently."

"Really?" I never noticed anyone treating me differently, except for Emmet. But that's him.

"Yeah, if only they knew," Dana said. "You want me to let you in on a secret?"

I nodded. I liked secrets.

"You have to promise not to tell anyone, not even Demitri."

"I promise," I said. Heck, I've already made a million promises today. One more won't hurt.

"The reason I'm in foster care is because my mom's a drunk." This surprised me. I never really knew why Dana was in foster care.

"She hit me a few times, and it hurt. A lot. She hated me, I knew," Dana added. I didn't think anyone could hate Dana. She was my sister, the one I go to when I need help or when I need to cry. Speaking of crying, Dana looked close to tears herself. I got a few Kleenexes **(sp?)** and offered them to her. She shook her head.

"I'm not gonna cry. It's admitting that it's real," Dana said. I didn't understand. I must've looked confused because Dana added, "It's admitting that everything that's happened is real."

"Isn't it supposed to be real?" I said.

"Well, it is, but crying makes… well, too real." I got what she was saying now. Too real. Crying is admitting that it's real.

Weeks passed and I kept Dana's secret. Months would pas I didn't dare say a word. No matter how bad or how often Dana cut, I was determined to keep my promise. I also helped clean up the blood. It scared me sometimes, but I kept silent. No one's gonna force a secret out of me.

Dana did end up going out with Chris. I wish she hadn't. He was an idiot. He's fifteen but he could pass for eighteen. He's ugly. He had a bird's nest for his hair and pale blue eyes that reminded me of the monsters in some of the scary movies Dana and I watched. He treated me like a toddler or just pretended to not notice me. I hated that.

"Why is she with him?" Demitri once said. He had a point. Dana's sweet and beautiful. Chris is white trash.

One day, Dana cut herself again. It started bleeding but not like the others. This one wouldn't stop.

I just came back from school and I came up to our room and I found her trying to put pressure on her arm. No use. The blood just kept coming.

"Kendi, help me! It won't stop!" she said. I didn't know what to do. Out of habit, I took a bunch of Kleenexes and Dana raised her arm hoping it would help. Eventually, we stopped the blood. I got a first aid kit from the bathroom. Dana said she would only use it if the cut were bad enough. If this isn't considered bad, I don't know what is.

I helped Dana bandage her wounded arm. We had to change clothes since there were some blood drops on them. Dana told me she was planning on throwing them out before Ms. Coley saw them. I didn't care; most of them were hand-me-downs anyways.

"I don't want to do this anymore," Dana said when she got the last speck of blood off the pocketknife she used. "It's not helping anymore and it's hurting you, Baby Sis. Every single time I do this, you get scared. I can see it. So I want you to keep this," Dana handed me the knife, "and keep it away from me. I'm not gonna use it on myself ever again."

I examined the knife. It was silver-painted and with the press of a button, a blade would come out.

"I'll never do this again, I promise, Baby Sis." And for a time, I believed her. Dana always could keep her promise.

A week later…

"Are you alright, Kendi Bear?" Ms. Coley said. She always called me "Kendi Bear" because she said I was as "cute as a teddy bear." No one else is allowed to call me that. Not even Dana. Ms. Coley never seemed to see that it embarrassed me when she called me that.

She put a hand on my forehead.

"Well, you don't have a fever. Is something wrong, dear?" I could feel Dana's pleading eyes boring into me when Ms. Coley asked that. Dana's kept her word of not cutting for a week now. It still haunts me, though.

"No," I said. We were all at the dinner table eating. Demitri was trying to swallow down a chunk of chicken. Gordon was trying to get his brother to slow down. I was sitting next to Dana but Dana's attention was elsewhere. Chris was over for dinner. Dana had invited him and, surprisingly, Ms. Coley accepted. She usually welcomed guest, even on Friday nights when she'd go out bowling with her friends. Chris always pretends to be a "sweet little fellow" whenever he's around Ms. Coley. With me, he either pulls out the daggers or shuns me. I'm the only one he shuns too. He always talks to Demitri and Gordon. Never to me.

Later on, Ms. Coley got ready to leave.

"Gordon, you're in charge so make sure the kids don't go to bed too late." Yeah, right. Gordon lets us stay up as long as we want as long as we don't rat him out for it.

"I will, Ms. Coley," Gordon said. He gave a sly wink to Demitri and me.

"And, you two," Ms Coley said indicating Dana and Chris, "I don't want any funny business while you are under my roof. Understand?"

"Yes, Ms. Coley," the couple said in unison. I give them fifteen before they start making out on the couch. Ms. Coley smiled then walked out the door and hopped into a van where many other women were already on and took off for bowling.

After Ms. Coley left, everyone went to doing their own thing. Gordon listened to music on his CD player while working on some report at the dining table. I asked if I could help but he said that I probably wouldn't understand what it was about. He wasn't being mean: Gordon's not like that. He probably thought that some of the stuff he was learning was over my head. They really were.

Dana and Chris were watching _The Sixth Sense_ together on the couch in the TV room. Dana wasn't the cheesy romantic movie type.

Demitri and I decided to play Life. He had the green car and I had the blue one. It was right in the middle of Demitri's turn when we heard yelling from the TV room. Out of curiosity, Demitri and I raced to find out what was going on. Dana and Chris were fighting. Dana was pulling her sleeve down as if to hide something.

"It's not what you think!" Dana yelled.

"What? That you're not one of those lunatics who think that pain is fun?" Chris said.

"It's not like that!"

"God, I wouldn't have gone out with you if I knew you were some crazy cutter!" He knew. Chris knew about Dana's scars. Dana looked close to tears, but she was struggling not to let them fall. I know what she's thinking. I can hear her thoughts. Crying is admitting that that it's real. Dana wasn't going to let herself cry.

"Please, just listen!"

"No, you listen! No girl of mine is going to have stupid scars on her arms! We're through!"

"Chris, wait!" Dana screamed. Let him go, I thought. He's not worth it. Let him go. Then I saw Chris slap Dana in her face. A knot tightened in my stomach. No one should ever hit my sister.

"Shut up, bitch!" This was the last straw. He couldn't say that to her. He couldn't hit her. I got up the courage to step forward.

"Don't you dare hit her, you bastard!" I yelled. Chris looked angry.

"What'd you call me, shrimp?" I regretted what I said. Chris didn't look like he was going to let me off easy for that.

"She called you a bastard, you bastard!" Demitri said as he stood behind me.

"Is that so?" Chris said. His pale blue eyes turned to ice when he looked at me. "I'll teach you to show some respect!" Demitri retreated. So much for him having my back and I was left to face Chris alone.

"Chris, get away…" Dana started to say, but it was too late. Chris pushed me down to the ground. I hit the floor hard.

" Chris, get out and leave Kendi alone!" Dana yelled. I got up to my feet fully intending to push Chris back until a hand from behind me held me back.

"You can't tell me what to do!" Chris yelled back.

"Maybe she can't but I can," a voice said. It was Gordon. He was standing behind me holding my arm gently. "Chris, you need to leave. Now." His voice was calm, hard, and serious.

Chris looked at him angrily and then stomped out the door. I found out later that he called his older sister on his cell phone to pick him up.

After Chris left, Gordon made sure everything was okay.

"Are you alright?" Gordon said. Dana touched the cheek that Chris had slapped.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Dana turned her attention to me.

"Did Chris hurt you, Baby Sis?"

"No, not too much."

"Kendi's a brave girl. Did you see how she stood up to Chris?" Gordon commented. I think he was trying to make me feel better and I didn't mind it one bit. I beamed at him.

"She'll be someone when she gets older, that's for sure." Dana said. Gordon got serious again.

"Dana, we need to talk. Kendi, you can go back with Demitri, now." That meant one thing: Gordon heard the part about Dana cutting.

When I got back, Demitri was finishing up his turn. "Sorry, I didn't stick up for you," he said.

"It's okay."

Gordon and Dana decided not to tell Ms. Coley about Chris. Gordon even promised to keep quiet about Dana's scars as long as she never did it again.

The following Monday, Dana came home a little depressed.

"Chris told," she said to me. "He told my friends that I cut. I tried to tell them that I quit but none of them listened. They wouldn't even talk to me."

The next day wasn't any better.

"No one will sit with me at lunch. Some of the teachers already know and they're gonna call the guidance counselor, I know it."

"But you quit," I said. "What's there to worry about?"

"Do you really think they'd believe me?" I nodded. Dana didn't really notice, or care.

By Wednesday, Ms. Coley got a call from the guidance office. After talking to her, Ms. Coley let her go since she quit. She came back to our room while I was doing homework in bed. I saw Dana look through her jewelry box. She didn't have much but she took out a necklace with a black cord and a navy blue star pendant. I always liked that one.

"Here, Kendi, you can have it," Dana said offering me the necklace.

"Really?" I said excitedly.

"Yeah, it's yours, you borrow it so many times it might as well be. Besides, you have more use for it than me." I accepted it and immediately put it on.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I squealed.

"No problem," Dana said. Dana also gave me some old clothes, gave Demitri her old baseball mitt, and donated some of her stuff to Goodwill.

"I want to make room for new stuff," Dana explained.

On Thursday, Dana started talking to me about how she felt alone.

"My friends still won't talk to me. I know that if they won't accept me, then they really aren't my friends, but it's hard to believe that when I've been hanging out with them throughout the school year. It's bad enough my mom hates me, now everyone else is starting to hate me."

"I don't hate you," I assured her.

"I know. That's because you don't hate people so easily. You get angry, but you don't hate. If only other people didn't hate so easily."

"Ms. Coley doesn't hate you," I said.

"She wants to adopt you guys, you know," Dana said.

"That's good. Then we really can be sisters!"

"She wants to adopt you and everyone else. Everyone but me. It's because I cut. She doesn't want me." Dana really has lost it. Ms. Coley loved Dana just as much as she loved Demitri, Gordon, and me.

"She'll adopt you. She won't adopt me unless she adopts you."

"Ah, it won't matter, anyways."

"Why?" Dana didn't answer.

The next morning, Dana was unusually cheerful.

"Good morning, everyone," she said as she joined everyone for breakfast. Everyone noticed her happy disposition. I was the one who was surprised by it. Dana went through the whole day with a smile on her face. It was creepy.

Later that night, Ms. Coley left for bowling again leaving Gordon in charge as usual. Dana had walked up to our room. I decided that instead of watching Harry Potter with Demitri, I would just go upstairs and find out why Dana was in such a happy mood. When I entered the room, I was greeted by a horrific sight.

"Dana what are you doing?" I yelled. Dana was lying on her back on her bed. Her arm was covered with cuts. Deep ones. On her wrists. She used a pair of scissors to make them. I froze.

Dana turned her head to me and said, "I'm sorry Baby Sis. But I don't want to deal with this anymore."

"Dana, stop! Don't do this!" I cried. "Gordon, help! Dana needs and ambulance! She's bleeding!" Screw my promise. Dana needs help _now._

It's too late," Dana said solemnly. She seemed so far away even though she was in front of me.

"No it isn't!"

"I love you, Baby Sis." Dana's eyes closed. And just like that, I lost the person who meant the most to me. I lost my big sister and my closest friend.

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**A/N: This part is sad, I know. This is the end of the flashback, by the way. I know, it's really messed up on how it ended but things happen. It's not right but they do. Some of the characters introduced here might make another appearance. If I decide to put Chris in again, I'll make sure someone kicks his ass. Any suggestions on who should do it? Well, R&R.**


	12. Smoke on the Porch

**Chapter Twelve- Smoke on the Porch**

**A/N: You'd think that after Kendi read "The Outsiders" she'd feel comfortable enough to talk to Ponyboy about Dana, right? Wrong. Sometimes you just don't want to let your parents know what's going on and Kendi's no different from the rest of us.**

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Outsiders." Jay, you can leave me alone about the lawyer comment now. I know it was originally yours.

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**Kendi's POV**

I finished reading Dad's essay. I couldn't believe he had gone through that. It seemed so different but so much the same from what happens today. Yeah, I don't see many people getting randomly jumped by guys in Mustangs and Corvairs but you couldn't say that Valencia stuffing me in a locker was reasonable. Maybe there aren't any "Greasers" or "Socs" now, but there are Goths and Preps around. I guess every generation has individual groups of their own. I wanted to talk to Dad about it. He might like to hear it.

I tried looking for him around the house. He wasn't anywhere. He wasn't at his computer doing any school stuff. He probably finished. I thought about where he would be. I looked outside from the window and saw something that sent a shiver in my spine. There was smoke coming from the porch. I thought he'd quit.

**Pony's POV**

I sat outside on the porch. The ashtray already had two cigarettes in it and I lit up a third one. Thinking about Johnny and Dally isn't the easiest thing to do. Having a cigarette on hand helps the pain a little. I was starting to be okay until I saw Kendi standing beside me. Shit, I'd been caught.

"You told us you'd stop, Dad," she said woefully. By "us," she meant Cherry and her. I knew I told them I'd quit smoking. I promised them I would never touch another cigarette. Some husband and father I turned out to be.

"I know. It's just sometimes thinking about that hurts still. It's not always easy to get over it," I explained.

"I know," she said. "Here's your essay. I read it and I wanted to tell you that…" Kendi paused for a second. I took the essay and waited for her to finish.

"That…?" I said when she didn't say anything.

"That I understand every word of it," she said finally. I looked into Kendi's eyes and I knew there was something more. Something that she wanted to say but didn't know how.

**Kendi's POV**

I wanted to tell Dad right there. But then I felt another urge to just keep it to myself. If I told him, I might just end up crying. And I didn't want to do that. I haven't shed one single tear since Dana's suicide. Not even during the funeral or the burial; I just stood there stone-faced refusing to let any tears out. I still remember what Dana said. Crying is admitting that it's real. I definitely don't want Dana's death to be real. I'm not gonna cry.

"Well, I have to go do homework," I said after a few moments. Dad nodded. I added, "Promise me that you won't smoke a whole pack?"

"Sure, Kendi, I promise," he said. I went inside.

Dad's been smoking for as long as I can remember. According to his essay, he'd been smoking since he was fourteen. My age. I didn't like his smoking habit and neither did Mom. I learned in health class that smoking caused lung cancer and other life threatening diseases. I didn't want to lose my father. I'd already lost my sister.

I still remember what happened after Dana killed herself. I had to say good-bye to Ms. Coley, Demitri, and Gordon to go to another foster home: the Curtises. I still miss everybody there. Ms. Coley said, "I'm not ever going to forget you, Kendi Bear!" when I had to leave. I almost cried there. I wonder if I'll ever see them again.

**Cameron's POV**

It's late. Where's Dan? Is he working overtime again? He told me he'd pick me up from Rawley's today this morning. No way I was going home to be with Dad again after last night.

"Is that why your arm is sore? Your father hit you again?" Rawley had asked when I told him I didn't want to go home after school. He knew everything about Dad. He should. He was the first one I went to when it started happening.

"Yeah," I had said. He dropped the subject at the time. I did my geometry homework this time. It was due tomorrow. Rawley noticed I was doing Geometry too.

"Cam, why are you looking at the back of the book?" he had asked.

"Homework." He finally saw that I was looking at the answer key, the one that Rod told me about.

"You little cheater."

It's now 7:30. Where the hell is Dan? He gets off work at around 6:45. Where is he?

"Cam, are you sure your brother's coming?" Aunt CeeCee asked. I call her Aunt CeeCee even though she's Rawley's aunt.

"Yeah, he said he'd be here," I said. "Thanks again for dinner." Aunt CeeCee made the best lasagna.

It's 7:45. I start to worry a little. What if there was an accident? What if Dan was dying right now and all I can think about is how he's late to pick me up? I try to calm myself down. I go into hysterics sometimes. Rodney says it's because of the car accident. A near fatal bash to the head can make anyone go crazy.

Dan's finally here. Forty-five minutes after he said he would be, but at least he's here and not in some hospital room.

"Sorry, Cam. I got stuck in traffic."

"Yeah, okay." I climb onto Dan's pickup truck after saying thanks and good-bye to Rawley and Aunt CeeCee. At least tomorrow will be better. Yeah, right. And Dad's gonna quit drinking before I leave for college.Three words. Not. Gonna. Happen.

* * *

**A/N: I put the second part in so you would know what Cam was doing while Kendi was being tongue-tied with Pony. I hope you like it so far. And Sam, I'll try to speed up a little. R&R.**


	13. Residents of Mangled City

**Chapter Thirteen-Residents of Mangled City**

**A/N: Yeah, random name, but you'll see what it's about. I want to bring this a little out of the depression state so it's not all moan and groan about the world being unfair. That would just get boring. And annoying. So, even though this chapter might seem random, be thankful I haven't written in another flashback.**

Disclaimer: See the last twelve chapters. That'll give you the whole idea. I don't own the song, "Tourniquet," either. (Evanescence RULES!)

* * *

**Maya's POV**

Kendi walked up to me before first period.

"Maya, please eat with me when I eat with the guys today. I need a friend there!" She was asking me to eat with her with Cameron and Saban (he's in my Language Arts class. Cute)? Maybe, I will go with her this time.

"Why?"

"So, I'll have someone to talk with."

"Talk with Cameron. It's not like I care what you say with them. Just talk."

"If you don't care, why do you and Roxie spy on me at lunch?" Shit. She did find out. Roxie could never get away with being sneaky.

"Alright, I'll eat with you," I said trying to sound reluctant. I was actually excited to be eating with someone besides the people at our usual table.

"What about Roxie? Should I ask her?" Kendi said.

"Roxie doesn't need to come with us," I said. Kendi looked at me like I was crazy. I kind of had to be to say that.

"She's sick," I explained.

"Oh, did she eat too much Mexican coffee candy again?"

"She probably wishes she did," I said.

**Kendi's POV**

Geometry. Why, oh why should I take this? It was boring as hell. Does Mr. Danza always talk in a monotone voice? If he does, it's gonna be a long year. Cam was sitting next to me. That's the only good side to this. Every class that I'm with Cameron, he ends up taking a seat beside me. At least it's him and not Emmet, who I just found out also goes to Kesata High. He's still an asshole. Just a bigger one now.

I tried to pass Cam a note:

_You mind if my friend comes and eats with us?_

But when I turned to pass it to him, he was sleeping. I didn't even notice he was until I tried to get his attention only to find out that he was out cold. He wasn't even snoring. Call the record books, we have found the first guy without a snoring problem.

I tried to wake him up gently. He wouldn't budge. How late did he stay up last night? What was he doing during that time? Maybe I don't want to know. I tried to wake him again. No use. Mr. Danza was starting to notice us in the back. More specifically, he was noticing Cam's head buried in the desk. Cam's chair was tipped over slightly.

"Ms. Curtis, is there something wrong back there?" Mr. Danza asked me.

"No," I answered. I tried pushing Cameron on the shoulder a little. He still wouldn't wake up. The whole class was staring at us now.

"Cam, wake up!" I whispered not loud enough for anyone to hear. He still wouldn't wake up. Mr. Danza was getting suspicious now.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"

"Yes, sir."

"And what about you Mr. Talon?" Damn. He'd figure out Cameron was sleeping in a heartbeat if he came over here. Mr. Danza started to make his way into the back of the classroom.

"Wake up!" I say a little louder.

"Mr. Talon, are you sleeping in my class?" Mr. Danza's booming voice surprised me. He surprised Cameron too, because next thing I knew, Cam was falling backwards on his seat. _CRASH!_ Cam fell on his back while sitting on his seat. Ow! The whole class starts laughing their heads off. I try not to.

"Are you all right, Cameron?" I ask him. I saw him mouth, 'What the fuck?' I couldn't blame him for being surprised.

"Cam, what is the answer to four plus five?" Mr. Danza asked. Why didn't he get the nurse? Or at least make sure Cam was okay.

"Uhhhh…." Cam moaned. He was still groggy. And still on the floor.

"It's the how many hours of sleep you should be getting every night instead of playing video games," Mr. Danza said. Was that supposed to be funny? No one's laughing so I guess not. "I would appreciate it if you would not doze off during my class."

Cam got back up and Mr. Danza continued the lesson. He was probably giving Cam a warning instead of sending him to the principal's office since it was early in the year. I saw Cam looking drowsy from time to time. I poked him with the sharp end of my pencil to keep him awake. Later in the class, I remembered to give pass him the note. He answered:

_She can come. Would you stop poking me now?_

**Cameron's POV**

Lunchtime, finally. Geometry didn't go to well (just look at the bump on the back of my head) and I knew I'd be getting some backlash about it from my friends. My goddamn head is still aching. It's not like anyone cared, though. Everyone in my class either laughed at me or said some stupid comment like, "Is Sleeping Beauty ready for Geometry, now?" I was ready to pound them. Kendi was the only one who gave a damn if I was hurt or not. That's the cool thing about her. She cares.

When I got to our usual table, Kendi was already there with another girl. That must be her friend.

"Hey, Kendi," I said as I took a seat next to her.

"Hi Cam," She said. "This Maya by the way." Maya was the brown haired girl sitting next to her.

"Hi," she said. Afterwards, Jarod and Rawley showed up. Zonks and Saban came in, too.

"Should we start calling you Sleeping Geometry?" Zonks said trying to be funny. I was in no mood for his humor.

"Only if you want the shit beaten out of you," I said.

"Cool it, Cam, it's just a joke," Rawley said. I must've sounded meaner than I meant.

"Yeah, don't get fired up about it. That's Jarod's territory," Saban said. Jarod gave him a dirty look. We all knew that Jarod had an anger management problem.

"Hey, Cam could've been seriously hurt. Not that Mr. Danza cared," Kendi said.

"But he wasn't, was he?" Jarod said sourly.

"So? Cam still could've gotten a concussion or something," Maya said. Is it just me or do these girls that I just met seem to care more than my own friends? Maybe that's how girls are. I'll never know.

"Let's just hope he didn't knock his head bad enough to miss band practice after school tomorrow," Zonks said.

"You guys have a band?" Maya said.

"Yeah," I said.

"What kind?" Maya said.

"Rock band, what else?"

"Yeah, we're Residents of Mangled City!" Jarod said.

The name, Residents of Mangled City, was my idea. Mostly, anyways. We started this band last year. I thought of the name from the many times we were pushed in the halls, shoved to the side, and the number of bones we'd broken from skateboarding. Mangled, get it? Mangled, mentally and physically. Zonks is on drums, Jarod's on bass, Saban's on guitar, and I'm the lead vocals and guitar.

"Kendi plays guitar, you know," Maya said.

"Really?" I said.

**Kendi's POV**

Did Maya just mention I played guitar? What's she trying to do? Get me in the band? Like that would ever happen.

"She sings, too," Maya added. Hey! She wasn't supposed to say that! What if they ask me to sing for them? Then what am I going to do? I've never sung in front of anybody except for Maya and Roxie.

"Cool," Cam said. Watch him ask me to sing for him. "Why don't you sing a little, now?" See, what'd I tell ya?

"Ummm…" I say. I didn't really want to sing. I'm shy about that.

"Come on, it's just us," Rawley said.

"We won't judge," Saban said.

"I might," Jarod said. Helpful.

"That's the way to encourage her," Zonks said sarcastically.

"Just one song, Kendi. Please?" Cam said. I looked into his eyes again. Big mistake. I could see a little bit of pleading in them. Why did Cam have to have to have such handsome eyes?

"Alright," I surrendered. I started to sing one of my favorite songs, "Tourniquet."

"_I tried to kill the pain  
But only brought more  
I lay dying and I am pouring crimson regret  
And betrayal  
I'm dying, praying, bleeding and screaming  
Am I too lost to be saved?  
Am I too lost...?"_

**Cameron's POV**

I had to admit, Kendi was pretty damn good. Wonder where she got her voice.

"_My God  
My Tourniquet  
Return to me salvation!  
My God  
My Tourniquet  
Return to me salvation!  
My wounds cry for the grave  
My soul cries for deliverance  
Will I be denied Christ?  
Tourniquet!  
My suicide…"_

I liked it. I could tell the guys like her too. When she was finished, she turned a little red.

"Bravo," I said. I was truly amazed. We all started clapping for her.

"You should come to our band rehearsal tomorrow!" Jarod said. For Jarod to say something like that was truly a miracle. This girl had to be good.

"Yeah, that'd be cool," Zonks said. I saw Kendi smiling. I also noticed Maya looking proud of her friend but feeling a little left out.

"Hey, Maya, you can come, too. We could use an audience," I said. She smiled at me.

"C'mon, Kendi, let's go," Maya said.

"I don't know. I'll have to ask my parents," Kendi said.

"That's okay. Call me at my cell phone if you're coming," I said as I wrote down my number on a napkin.

"Okay," Kendi said.

"You want to know something unbelievable?" Saban said.

"What?" Rawley asked.

"Valencia hasn't bugged throughout the lunch period!"

"Hey, boys! How's it going?"

"Spoke too soon," Saban said in a letdown tone.

* * *

**A/N: This is a little more lighthearted so it won't get too sad. The part about Cam falling down was just so there was a little humor in it. Yeah, it's humor at someone else's expense but still, no one's dead.**

**Cameron: I do all my own stunts too.  
Kendi: Yeah, falling down during Geometry is really a stunt. I had to fall face-first from an airless locker!  
Cameron: I had to fall in front of the whole class!  
Kendi: I had to hold my breath just to be able to fit in that thing!  
RL1110: Would you two lovebirds get a room?  
Kendi and Cameron: Hey! We're just friends!  
RL1110: Not for long if I have a say about it…(conjures up a new idea for next chapter)  
Kendi and Cam: DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!**


	14. Meet the New Resident

**Chapter Fourteen- Meet the New Resident**

**A/N: Yay, I've gotten to fourteen chapters! And it's still going! I'll get it to go faster, don't worry. This isn't getting boring is it? I'm going to put in random moments from time to time so it doesn't get too heavy. **

Disclaimer: I've said it before and I refuse to say it again. Look at the other thirteen chapters if you're so curious. I don't own "All the Small Things" and Basketcase" although those songs kick ass! I don't own the other songs mentioned here.

* * *

**Cameron's POV**

It's the fourth day of school. Another frikkin' day of torture. I don't have Mr. Danza today, thank God. I've got enough hell coming at me from yesterday's Fall of the Doofus show I did id Geometry. I thought everything would have died down by today. Most people knew not to get me in a bad mood. One kid apparently didn't know.

"Hey, Sleeping Doofus is back! Watch out he might fall on you!" I turned around to see a scrawny redhead kid with thick glasses. I remembered seeing him hang around Jed like a gnat that wouldn't go away. He's in the head of the class but he's also the class shithead. I think his name's Emmet, but I can't be too sure. I am sure that he's dead meat.

"You want to say that again?" I said, my voice deep and angry. I started walking toward him making easygoing strides along the way.

When I got to where he was standing, I stared at him, hard. Emmet squirmed.

"You…you don't scare me," he said. Wimp. You could hear his voice shaking with fear.

I grabbed him by his collar, and dragged him across the hall. I hope Emmet enjoys his trip to the inside of the trashcan.

**Kendi's POV**

Cam said I could walk with him and Rawley to his house where the rehearsal would be. He said that I could just bring my guitar since he had an extra amp. Saban, Jarod, and Zonks had to go home to get their stuff. Maya's going to walk with us too.

I waited at the front of the main building where we were supposed to meet. I was the only one there so far. I saw a bunch of seniors driving out of school in their Mercedes-Benz **(Carly!), **Mustang convertibles, and other fancy cars.

Rawley and Cam showed up a few minutes later.

"Sorry, I had to go to my locker on the way here and then some senior came and locked me in the janitor's closet," Rawley said as if this kind of thing happened everyday.

"Yeah, and I had to go get the janitor to unlock it for him," Cam said. Maya got here too.

"Sorry, I'm late. I had to go do some Spanish stuff for Señora Hernandez," Maya explained. After that, we got going. Cam's house wasn't too far from the school. Yet, I couldn't help but wonder if someone would jump up from the bushes and jump us or something. My dad wasn't too thrilled with letting me walk from school with a couple of boys. I promised I would be okay. Just in case, though, my switchblade was tucked safely in my back pocket. I'll be okay.

Cam's house wasn't too bad. The door was unlocked. Was it smart to leave it unlocked like that? I heard some grumbling from upstairs.

"Don't worry. It's just my dad. He hardly comes down here at this time."

"Taking a day off from work?" Maya said. Cam looked saddened a little.

"He lost his job last year," Cam said.

"I'm sorry," Maya said. Cam didn't look too happy but I don't think it was because his dad's jobless. I didn't want to ask. When people look like that, they usually end up breaking down if someone asks them what's going on. I'm not sure if I can handle seeing someone else break down.

I wondered why I even agreed to come. I don't really sing that much. Roxie's the singer in our group **(Happy, Jay?)**. She should be here. Not me. And yet I'm here and Roxie's at home with the stomach flu. Who knew those Mexican coffee candies can be so dangerous?

**Cameron's POV**

Maya gave me look of pity like I knew she would. Kendi looked more worried. She seemed like she didn't know what to say or if she should give me sympathy at all. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. It's just not what I'm used to. I showed the girls to the basement where the amps and other music shit were already in.

The other guys came in. Kendi and I already had our guitars hooked up. Kendi was practicing a few scales for a couple minutes.

"Hey! We're here, now! Let's get started!" Jarod said.

Rawley and Maya took a couple seats to the side to watch. The rest of the band, along with Kendi, tried to figure out which song to play first. It wasn't that hard.

"Kendi, do you know 'All the Small Things'?" Jarod asked. "All the Small Things" is a Blink-182 song. It was one of our favorites to start rehearsal with since it was fast and simple.

"Yeah," Kendi said.

"Okay, then. Let's go," Saban said. I set up the old microphone. It wasn't much, just this cheap thing Rod got off EBay when he had a band. They broke up and Rod lets me use it for my band. It worked okay.

"1, 2, 3, and 4!" I started. We all kicked in for the intro at "and 4." Then it got a little quieter and I started singing.  
_  
"All the small things  
True care, truth brings  
I'll take one lift  
Your ride best trip  
Always, I know  
You'll be at my show  
Watching, waiting  
Commiserating_

Say it ain't so  
I will not go  
Turn the lights off  
Carry me home

_Na na na na na na _**(I don't know how many na's go in the chorus so I'll just cut it short here)**  
_  
Late night come home  
Work sucks, I know  
She left me roses by the stairs.  
Surprises let me know she cares  
Say it ain't so  
I will not go  
Turn the lights off__  
Carry me home  
Na na na na na na"_

We got softer on the bridge with the do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do part. Then we got louder again.

_"__Say it ain't so  
I will not go   
Turn the lights off  
Carry me home  
__Keep your head still  
I'll be your thrill  
The night will go on  
My little windmill!"_

The guys started backing me up with the "Na na na" part. I even heard Kendi sing too. I sang the final chorus.

_"Say it ain't so  
I will not go  
Turn the lights off  
Carry me home  
Keep your head still  
I'll be your thrill  
The night will go on, the night will go on  
My little windmill!"_

We did the final chord the final chord and Rawley and Maya applauded us.

"Encore! Encore!" Maya shouted. We all turned to Kendi.

"Maybe you should sing, this time," I suggested.

**Kendi's POV**

I didn't know what to say to Cam. Frankly, I wanted to hear him sing more.

"Uh, well, I don't know," I said stupidly. I saw Maya look at me as if to say, "SING ALREADY!"

"What songs do you know?" Saban asked. I thought for a moment.

"How about 'Basketcase?'" I said.

"Cool. We know that song. You can put your guitar over on that stand if you're not going to sing while playing," Cam pointed out. I placed my guitar on the stand. Singing while strumming the guitar is not easy for me **(A/N: I've tried. Not pretty.) **Then we got started on the song.

_"Do you have the time  
To listen to me whine  
About nothing and everything  
All at once  
I am one of those melodramatic fools  
Neurotic to the bone  
No doubt about it.  
Sometimes I give myself the creeps.  
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me  
It all keeps adding up  
I think I'm cracking up!  
Am I just paranoid?  
Or am I just stoned?"_

The rehearsal went on like that. Song after song, riff after riff, lyric after lyric. Sometimes Cam sang, and sometimes I was forced to. Well, not really. I kind of liked being at the microphone. It was fun. I wonder where Cam got that mic. It was old and a little beat up but it worked really well.

We did some songs like "Holiday," "Ocean Avenue," "Ohio is for Lovers," Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year," and a bunch of other ones. We even did "All We Know." That one was my favorite song to sing. The guys liked how I sounded when I sang it.

"You give it this edgy, Avril tone to it," Jarod said.

"It's already edgy," I mentioned.

"You make it edgier," Jarod said.

After a couple of hours, Cam's brother showed up.

"Hey Rodney," Cam said.

"Hey Cam. How's RMC going? Still up and rocking?" Rodney said. RMC probably stood for Residents of Mangled City.

"Yeah, we've got a new member today," Cam said. Cam motioned to me. Rodney took a glance at me.

"Oh, so do I get the pleasure of meeting the new resident?" Rodney said. Was Cam being serious? Was I really part of the band?

"This is Kendi. Guitar player and Mariah Carey's rival," Cam said with a smile. If Roxie were in my place, she'd be basking in all the praise. I was slightly embarrassed.

"Nice to meet you, Kendi," Rodney said, "I'm Rod."

"Hi," I said shyly. He looked almost like Cam. He was a few inches taller and he had blond hair like Cam. But Rod had brown eyes while Cam had gray eyes.

After about a half-hour, we started to pack up. Jarod didn't live too far away and somehow his parents trust him to walk home at 6:00 PM. Saban and Zonks got a ride with Zonks's parents. They offered me one but my dad was already on his way to pick me up. Rawley and Maya left too, leaving Cam and me behind with Rodney. I called Mom to see if Dad was coming. He was going to be a little late. Cam said that was fine. He looked a little uncomfortable, though. Did he have a problem with me staying?

**Cameron's POV**

I didn't really mind Kendi staying for another few minutes. But I kept getting this uneasy feeling about it. No, it's not like that. It's because I knew my dad would be coming down soon. I didn't want Kendi to see him or meet him or even know he existed. I didn't want her to be freaked out. That's why the sooner she leaves, the better.

"You want to go watch some TV or have a snack?" I looked at the time on the microwave. "Or dinner if you want."

"It's okay, I'm fine." We went to the couch and watched some _Drake and Josh_. Yeah, I was the one who got to the remote and I completely forgot that Kendi would be able to see what I chose. Would she think I'm immature?

"I love this show!" she said. Whew.

"Me, too." We watched for a few minutes. Dan came in earlier than usual.

"I got off work early," he said. We didn't really pay attention.

"Oh, hey Dan. Kendi's just waiting for a ride at the moment," I said before looking at the TV again. Dan didn't ask another question. He left for his room.

So we were left alone on the couch at the TV room. We started talking during the show.

"You know, I can kind of relate to Josh being a total loser and all," I said. Did that just come out of my mouth?

"Really? I thought of you as Drake, the guy every girl wants," Kendi said.

"Seriously?" I said not believing what she had said.

"Yeah. I'm kind of the dork if you're looking for one. I haven't had a boyfriend much less a first kiss," she said. Then she clapped her hand over her mouth. "That wasn't supposed to come out!"

I thought about my first kiss. It was with my girlfriend, Kapri, last year. I am a dork.

We kept silent for a few moments. Then I turned to Kendi.

"Hey, Kendi."

"What?'

"Do you want to know what a first kiss is like?" I said. I didn't mean to sound creepy. I just said it because… because… Ah, forget it.

Kendi turned and smiled at me. "Maybe."

I looked at her to see if she was serious. She was. So I leaned in and my lips touched hers. She didn't push me away or anything that I thought she'd do. We just kissed, that's all. How does one little moment seem so big when it's happening? How does one little moment make you feel…well, different? Or weird, we can go with that.

All I know is that I would never have taken that moment for granted if I knew it would soon be broken.

* * *

**A/N: You guys might be wondering why Roxie isn't there. Well, it isn't because of the stomach flu as Kendi's been led to believe. Today is March 16, my friend, Jay's, birthday. So I thought it'd be cool if…**

**Jay: Would you get on with it?  
RL1110: Alright, alright. I'm gonna have Jay meet her character, Roxie. (Whispers to the side) Psst, Roxie! That's your cue!  
Roxie: Oh, hey. Hi, Jay! It's me Roxie!  
Jay: Hey, you're Japanese!  
Roxie: Japanese/Canadian to be more exact.  
Jay: Cool!  
RL1110: Cue the party!  
(We all party like there's no tomorrow with our buds Kayleigh, Carly, Carolyn, Lauren, and some other people. Joel crashes the party to bring us Red Bull and cake. Sweet. Emmet crashes the party too with his head still in the trashcan)  
Emmet: Can someone help me out of here?  
Everyone looks at Emmet with his feet sticking out of the trashcan. We think for a second, then say: Nah!**


	15. Don't Wanna Talk About It

**Chapter Fifteen- Don't Wanna Talk About It**

**A/N: You will hate Mr. Talon in this chapter if you do not hate him already.  
Emmet: Can you please let me out of this now?  
RockerLane1110: Shut up.  
Kendi: I hope you had breath mints before that last part.  
Cameron: Yeah, yeah.  
RL1110: Oh, c'mon. You guys know you liked that scene.  
(Kendi and Cameron look away to hide their blushing faces)  
RL1110:I knew it!  
Let me just make this official. I will NOT be adding any more friend-based characters (i.e. Roxie and Maya) to this story. **

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Outsiders," but I know S.E. Hinton does. Lucky.

* * *

**Kendi's POV**

Cam kissed me. He really kissed me. And you know what? He's actually a good kisser. Damn. If this goes any longer, I might faint from all of the shock. Yeah, that's right. Let's add "Faints while guy kisses her" to Kendi's long list of awkward moments. It was still… nice. I've never had a guy kiss me before so this is weird. But cool. In a weird way. As much as it felt weird, I didn't want it to end. Unfortunately, it did. A loud booming voice interrupted us.

"Hey, boy! What do you think you're doing over there on the couch?" said a slurred voice. Cameron and I separated and looked behind us. A tall, burly man stood in front of us with a flushed face and angry eyes. For some reason, I knew that this was Cam's father. He looked drunk.

**Cameron's POV**

Dammit. Dammit, dammit, dammit. Dad just had to show up now. He had to show up at this moment. He had to show up when Kendi was still here. But most of all, he had to show up when Kendi and I were… in the middle of something. Why did Dad have to show up now? Ahhhhhh!

"Dad! What are you doing here?" I said.

"Well, I was just about to go get myself a drink when I see you and your little whore on the couch!" I got angry. Really angry. He couldn't call Kendi a whore.

"Kendi's not a whore, moron!" I said. Hey, my dad's pretty stupid I don't feel any guilt in calling him a moron. That's a compliment compared to what I _should_ call him. Kendi started to look uncomfortable.

"Well, if she's gonna be willing to be with you, she must be one!" I couldn't stand him.

"If Kendi's a whore, then what are those girls you always bring home from the bar? Full-fledged prostitutes?" I said. Yeah, I guess they're the same thing but I'm not thinking that well.

"Watch your mouth, boy!" Dad said. He almost toppled over.

"God, Dad! Why do you always drink that stuff?" I said. I always wondered that.

"You ain't got no goddamn business asking but since you did, you might as well know. It because of you!" he said. His words sting. I can't say anything. Kendi puts her hand on my shoulder.

"He doesn't mean it," she whispers. I wish I could believe her but I can't.

"Of course, I mean it! Boy, I don't know how you can sleep at night knowing you killed your own mother! You killed her! If you hadn't been in the car, she could've still been alive! You could've still had a momma. But you don't! It's your all fault!" This time, his words don't just sting, they stab. They stab me and leave scars that'll never heal. They'll never fade.

Kendi got up. She looked angry, too.

"How dare you say that to your own son? How can _you _sleep knowing you've said that to him?" I don't know if that was amazingly brave or incredibly stupid. I got up to her side.

"You little slut! You don't talk to me like that!" I had meant to push Kendi away from Dad. I knew what was coming next and it would be better if I felt the punches, not her. I already knew how it felt like. I was too late, though. Dad hit Kendi straight across the face. Kendi fell to the floor. Shit.

I shoved Dad out of blind anger and he hit the wall. Dad was about ready to murder me. Rod and Dan held us back.

"You guys stop! This isn't going to solve anything!" Dan yelled.

"He hit Kendi!" I yelled back. Rod was keeping me back by my arms while Dan was trying to keep Dad from maiming me.

"What?" Rod said. Then Dan and Rod saw Kendi still on the ground but she was getting up. There was a bruise below her left eye. Dan immediately left Dad to help her. Dad just walked back upstairs.

"Are you okay?" Dan asked. Rod let go of me too and we both went over to her.

**Kendi's POV**

God, how hard did I fall? By the time I got all consciousness back, Cam and his brothers were looking after me.

I was on the couch. When did I get here? How hard was I hit?

Cam's oldest brother (whose name has slipped my mind) handed me an ice pack.

"You got a bruise under your left eye," he said. Me, being the blond that I am, put the ice pack under my right eye.

"Other left," he said.

"You gonna be okay, Kendi?" Cam asked.

"What happened?" I said. Cam and his brothers looked at each other. Cam decided to tell me.

"Uh, my dad kind of gave you a whack after you stood up to him," he said. Typical. I always get hurt when I open my mouth. Take Valencia and Chris for example.

"You'll be okay," Cam's other brother (Ron?) told me. I finally sat up on the couch.

"Is he always like that?" Another awkward silence.

"Dan, I think we can trust Kendi," Cam said to his oldest brother. Trust me with what?

"I don't know…"

"Yes, Kendi. At least since our mom died," Cam's other brother said. I couldn't remember if his name was Ron or Rod.

"Why?" Cam looked uncomfortable when I said this.

"I don't wanna talk about it," he said.

"Okay," I said. I knew what it was like when you just didn't want to talk about something. I also knew how annoying it was when someone (particularly parents by adoption) tried to pry into you about it.

The doorbell rang. Dan got up to get it.

"Your Dad's here, Kendi," Dan said. Cam whispered into my ear.

"Please don't tell anyone about this." I silently promised him I wouldn't as I picked up my guitar.

**Pony's POV**

When I saw Kendi, I immediately knew something was wrong. She had a bruise on her face. I knew leaving her with a bunch of boys would be a bad idea.

"Kendi, what happened? Why do you have a bruise?" I said.

"Uh, nothing Dad. I just, um, well, I kind of ran into a door today at school," she said. I raised my eyebrows. I could tell she was lying to me.

"What? Are you sure?"

"Yes, Dad." Did Kendi have any reason to lie?

"Kendi, please. Just tell me the truth."

"It was nothing, Dad."

"Don't use that tone with me, Kendi."

"Sorry, but nothing happened."

"So none of those boys had anything to do with this?" I said.

"What? You think Cam might have done this to me?" she said loudly.

"Kendi, I'm just trying-"

"To accuse my friends!"

"I can hardly call them your friends if you come home with that bruise on your face," I said.

"Dad, you don't even know him, or the rest of them!"

"I know that they are boys and sometimes when boys are around girls they-"

"Dad, it's not like that! Cam's not like that! He's a good guy, I swear!" Kendi was getting pretty fed up. What happened between her and this "Cam" that would make her this way? I wasn't too sure about "Cam."

"Kendi, I don't know if you can see these boys again," I said. Kendi looked at me with wide eyes.

"Dad, c'mon! Why not? They didn't do anything!"

"Then why do you have a bruise there?"

"I ran into a door, that's all!" I looked at her. That bruise couldn't have come from any door banging.

"We'll see," I said.

**Kendi's POV**

I knew Dad had already made up his mind about Cam. He didn't like him. He hadn't even met him and he already dislikes him. Why was he being unfair? Cameron would never hurt me. I knew it. Neither would the rest of RMC or even Cam's brothers. If Dad would only give them a chance, he would see that.

When we got home, Mom asked me what happened with my bruise. I told her my "I ran into a door" story. Unlike Dad, she believed me completely.

I went up to my room. Too much had happened. I thought about Cam. Had he really gone through that every night? Had he told anyone about it? Was he going to? What if he got seriously hurt? Was he getting beat up now. Oh God please let the answer be no. But what if it was happening again? What would his brothers do? What would he do? Damn, too many feelings. Too many thoughts. I felt like crying but I refused to. No tears would come out of my eyes.

I took out the switchblade from my pocket and I made more cuts on my arm. The blood was my tears. Cutting was crying. I understood what Dana had meant.

"Kendi, dinner's almost ready," Mom called from downstairs. I cleaned up in the bathroom and set the table. No one ever asks me to pull up my sleeves.

* * *

**A/N: Have things gotten better or worse? Is there a happy ending in sight? R&R. I'll update soon.  
Emmet: Can you let me out of this now?  
RL1110: You can wait another chapter.  
Emmet: You're evil.  
RL1110: I know.  
Jay: You're a dumbass too.  
RL1110: Don't need to tell everyone.**


	16. Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil

**Chapter Sixteen- Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil**

**A/N: Okay, Jay kinda took Kendi and Cameron hostage because I forgot to bring her birthday present. I did already and I guess they can be released now. If they're not, go to Ranmayuuske930 and demand their freedom. Kendi made an appearance in NOBODY 2, don't ya know? She fell out of a locker when Alazne said something in Spanish. Well, on with the story now.**

**Emmet: Can I get out of this now?  
RL1110: (bored tone) Sure go ahead. (Emmet gets out. Does he realize he could've done that at any time?)**

Disclaimer: Don't own "The Outsiders."**

* * *

**_A week later… _**  
****  
Cameron's POV**

I came to school with a beanie on my head. Don't ask me why, maybe it was to piss off Mr. Danza. He'd been pissing me off already. He caught me cheating on my homework somehow and gave me this hour-long detention. Then during class whenever he talks about how you shouldn't procrastinate and shit like that, he looks straight at me. Hey, I don't always procrastinate and I manage to get everything in on time. Actually, the main reason for wearing a beanie on school grounds was because I had this black eye from Dad last night. I don't know how it started or even how it ended. Or what happened. There was a lot of yelling, cursing, hitting, fighting, you know, same old, same old. If anyone asks, I got into a fight at the arcade. No one will know that I wasn't even at the arcade.

"Hey, Camel!" I heard someone call behind me as I was going to my locker. I looked behind me and saw Roxie, Kendi's friend. Clearly, Roxie's the one who was fed coffee instead of milk when she was a baby.

" Hey RoxStar!" I yelled back. Somehow, Roxie likes to make nicknames for people and mine just happened to be "Camel." Not something I'd prefer, but I'd heard worse. Roxie's the only one allowed to call me that, though, so don't get any ideas. I call her RoxStar to get back at her.

"What happened with your eye?" she asked.

"I got into a fight at the arcade."

"Oh." I looked at the clock. It was almost first period.

"I gotta go, Roxie. See you later."

"See you at lunch," she said.

I got to Ms. Lisuke's class just in time. I got to my seat next to Kendi. She noticed my black eye, too. Her question, though, was worded differently from Roxie.

"Cameron, did your dad hit you again?" she asked. Kendi still remembers that incident at my house. I think her dad's pissed with me because of the bruise. He thinks I had something to do with it. In a way, maybe, but not directly or intentionally. Kendi kept her promise. She didn't say anything about Dad to anyone else. She did ask from time to time if I was okay when she saw that I had more injuries from Dad.

"Yeah, but I'm fine. Don't worry," I said. Kendi won't listen. I can see the worry in her eye.

I saw Kendi again in Geometry. She still looked a little concerned.

"Kendi, I'm okay. You don't have to kill yourself over what's going on. I'm used to it." I think I made it worse. She looked saddened by what I said. Forget about me, what's bugging her?

I pulled my beanie over my eyes and ears and shut my mouth. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Those I can handle doing. But no one ever said anything about feeling no evil or doing no evil. Those I could use. Like when Mr. Danza asked me to take off my hat, I refused. Then he walked up to me and said I would have a detention if I didn't take it off. I wasn't listening. Then he had the nerve to grab the top of my hat and pull it off my head. That's when he saw my black eye.

"Been fighting again, haven't you? Maybe, if you didn't try being such a wise guy, you could come to class in one piece for once." Just like that, he assumed I was in a fight. Well, that was what I was telling people but he didn't even ask. Just assumed. Just assumed I was someone good troublemaker and that I was just looking for ways to hate the world. I wanted to yell, "My dad did this to me, faggot!" but I didn't. I should've but I didn't. Why do I keep this thing a secret? I don't know the answer.

******Rawley's POV**

The cafeteria was crowded. Apparently not crowded enough for me to avoid Roxie. She scares me. Does she have ADD or something? Every time we sit with her, she either kicks me underneath the table, or is dancing while sitting down. Sometimes I'd rather just have Kendi, and even Maya around, instead of seeing her. Why do they put up with her?

Roxie was the only one there when I got to the table. I think the rest of them were either at the back of the line or at lunch detention. I'll bet you anything that Jarod and Saban got a lunch detention. I wanted to talk to Cam after I heard he'd gotten into a fight at the arcade last night. I know for a fact he didn't. I'm pretty sure Cam's father hit him again.

"Did you see Cam's black eye? That must've been some fight," Roxie said. I had to grit my teeth when she said that. Almost everybody in this damn school would love to see a fight happen or see some bloodshed. I wonder what they'd do if they knew the truth.

"Yeah, I heard," I said. I couldn't blame Roxie for anything. She was just being human. Kendi came with Maya and they took a seat with Roxie in the middle.

"Hey Roxie," they both said.

"Hey, have you heard about the fight Cameron was in?" Roxie said. I prepare for them to start talking about how they wish they were there and all that bullshit.

"I heard. Is Cam okay? I mean, what happened?" Maya said. Kendi didn't say anything. It looked like she was uncomfortable with the subject.

"I don't know. I wish I was there, though," Roxie said.

"I'm glad I didn't," Kendi said quietly. Something seemed wrong. Did she know something?

"What? You can handle violence. We've seen you stand up to people before," Maya said.

"Yeah, and you bring that stupid switchblade wherever you go," Roxie said. Kendi has a switch?

"You have a switch, Kendi?" I said.

"Yeah, my dad's friend gave it to me," she said. What kind of friends does her dad have?

Cam eventually came to the table with the nastiest bruise on his right eye. God, I could believe he was in a fight. Kendi looked sad when she saw him. What's going on?

It turned out that Zonks had lunch detention too. So it was just Cam, the girls, and me. I think I can live.

I asked Roxie if I could talk with her alone. Okay, as much as Roxie annoys me, sometimes when I talk to her, we seem to click even if we're different. She's wild and fun and I'm laid-back and easygoing. Or just plain boring if you want. The thing is, I don't mind sometimes when Roxie eats with us. At least we know something's gonna happen. Roxie's cool in her own way.

******Roxie's POV**

Rawley asked me to talk to him alone. I said I would after lunch. I think Rawley's scared of me. If he says one bad word against me, I'll punch his nose off. He didn't. Instead he asked me the last thing I ever thought he'd say to me.

"Roxie, will you go out with me?"

* * *

******A/N: So will she say yes? Since this is Jay's character and she's insisted on being the one to answer I'm giving her three days to answer. If she doesn't e-mail by then, I'll make up my own answer. R&R  
Kendi: They'd be good together.  
Cameron: My best friend with your best friend?  
Maya: Hey! What about me?  
RL1110: I'll figure something out for you.**


	17. Lovebirds and Fighting Words

**Chapter Seventeen- Lovebirds and Fighting Words**

**A/N: After countless e-mails between Ranmayuuske930 and me we have figured out (sort of) how Roxie will react to Rawley. So far, there's not much info on Roxie so this is where you get to know her a little. **

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Outsiders" and if you thought I did, that's really special of you.

* * *

**Roxie's POV**

"Roxie, will you go out with me?" That's what Rawley said. At least that's what I thought came out.

"Uhhh… sure, I guess we can go out," I said. Rawley was a nice guy and I'd hate to break his heart. Besides, Rawley's pretty cute. He's got this hot emo haircut. Maybe he'll turn out better than my other relationships.

After I said yes, Rawley looked like he couldn't breathe. Sometimes it's fun to see a guy's reaction when a girl says yes. They always act weird.

As I was going to science, I thought about the other boyfriends I had. Let's see, there was Fink. I don't remember his real name, just Fink. He was a pervert so I dumped him. There was also Saul, who was so boring and annoying that I don't need to explain why I dumped him. Why I went out with him might need explaining, though. Then there's Van **(I'm making these names up as I go along)**.Van actually dumped me. He found out that I cut. He just said he didn't want to hang out with me. He didn't say anything else, but he was pretty freaked. He didn't tell anyone though. I would've punched his lights out if he did. Hey, I stopped so don't start lecturing me. I know it was bad. I haven't told Kendi and Maya about it. They wouldn't understand. At least I stop before any school officials found out and my scars are almost completely gone. I can wear short sleeves now.

I saw Kendi at science. She was writing something in that notebook again. What the hell does she keep writing? Is she ever gonna show us what's in that damn notebook. I sat next to her and said, "Guess what."

"You're going to quit drinking coffee in the morning?" she said.

"Are you crazy?"

"Most likely."

"Try again," I said. Kendi took her attention away from writing and looked at my obviously beaming face. Sometimes it hurt to smile like this.

"Someone asked you out, huh?" she said. Somehow, Kendi can tell when I've got a new boyfriend. Kendi's never had one. I need to start looking for dates for her and Maya.

"Yeah! And guess who it is," I said.

"I'm guessing it's Rawley 'cause that's who you were talking to after lunch," she said.

"No fun," I said. I liked torturing people about things like this. "You need a boyfriend, too, you know that?"

"No, I don't," Kendi said.

" Maybe if you had one you'd stop being so lonely," I said.

"I'm not lonely. I've got you and Maya," Kendi said.

"So? Maybe I should set you up with Saban or Jarod, that'd be cute," I said.

"Why not Cameron? He's already kissed me anyways." Kendi's eyes widened when she realized what she just told me. Mine did, too.

"He what?" I yelled, a little too loudly. Kendi never told me this.

"Nothing," she said quickly but I saw her blushing.

"Tell me!" I said. Kendi shook her head. The teacher came in and I was forced to sit in my assigned seat. The seat furthest away from Kendi. Dammit. I passed a note to her:

_Tell me what you were talking about or I tell Maya about what you just said._

She passed it back to me:

_Go ahead. I don't care._

I answered her:

_Fine, I will. Bitch._

Our teacher almost caught us passing the note. Kendi threw it away after class. It was crumpled up and everything that was written was scribbled out or drawn over by a black sharpie. No one would have to know what was in it except for Kendi and me.

**Maya's POV**

Roxie came up to me during Spanish.

"Guess what," she said.

"Rawley asked you out," I said.

"Kendi told you," she said.

"Just a few minutes ago at the hallway," I said. Roxie looked disappointed. She usually did this game when she wanted to gloat about her having a boyfriend and Kendi and I being single. Something we liked to avoid.

"Well, guess what else," she said. I wasn't expecting this.

"What?"

"Guess!"

"You're going to quit drinking coffee in the morning?"

"Dammit, no! Kendi told me Cameron kissed her!"

"What?" I couldn't believe my ears. Kendi? Cameron? Kiss?

"Well it kind of slipped but I heard it. She won't tell me anything else, though." Typical. Kendi. She didn't seem like the kiss and tell sort of girl.

"You going to ask her?"

"You think she's gonna answer?" Roxie had a point. Kendi wouldn't talk.

"Guess we'll have to bug Cam," I said.

"Good idea!"

**Cameron's POV**

Rawley and I decided to go to the arcade after school. I wasn't willing to face Dad again. At least, not without my brothers around to restrain us. Plus, I needed a break from everything. Roxie and Maya were constantly harassing me about the kiss from last week. Why did Kendi choose to tell them now? Anyways, I finally got them to leave me alone especially when they saw I wasn't in a good mood. I'm almost never in a good mood.

"Hey, you know Roxie?" Rawley asked. I knew he had a crush on Roxie since the beginning of the week. I frequently told him to go ask her out. It's pathetic to watch him just daydream about her. Not that I'm better but still.

"You're not gonna start talking her like you did last time, are you? Man, ask her out already!" I said.

"I did. And she said yes." My mouth dropped. I think I was dragging it along the pavement.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Good for you, man," I said.

"Yeah, good for me, huh? Now what about you?" he said.

"What about me?" I said.

"I heard you kissed Kendi from Roxie. So did you?"

"Last week, yeah," I said. Rawley wasn't going to be happy about that answer.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" he asked.

"It slipped my mind," I said quickly.

"Liar. When you kissed Kapri last year, that was the only thing you could talk about," he said. I knew that was the truth. "So what's up with you and Kendi? Why won't you tell me?"

"Dad kind of interrupted us," I said. I knew Rawley would get it.

"Oh." He paused for a moment. "So now she knows about your dad? Did Kendi see him hit you?"

"Worse. He hit her."

"Damn." I hope Rawley would take a hint and leave it at that. I just wanted to play a couple of video games.

Evidently, life seems to hate my guts. Because who should I see at the arcade other than Jed Meyers. That's just who I need to see.

Jed was at one of the pool tables. He was still dressed in his Guinesborro High uniform. He even had the tie on. He stood out among the rest of us who wore t-shirts and jeans. There were a few Guinesborro people around him though so he wasn't completely alone with the uniform. I tried to avoid him the best I could. Jed, however, wasn't going to let me off easy, not after I kicked his ass last year.

"Hey, Talon! Long time no see!" he said. He seems to think it's cool to refer to people by their last names. I imitate him.

"Yeah, Meyers. Haven't seen your sorry ass in a while now." I immediately signaled to Rawley for us to just leave for the park. Jed followed us.

"Leave us alone, already! What else do you want?" I said. I wasn't being a coward. I just wasn't interested in fighting someone after having fought with Dad.

"Where'd you get the black eye? Got smart with someone else?" he said. "Well, they didn't do enough damage." I was getting angry. Jed knew I could be a hothead at times.

"Fuck off, Jed. Not interested right now," I said.

"Aw! I made the little baby cry!" I was starting to lose control again. I don't know who I hate more, my dad or Jed.

"Fuck off, or I'll break your nose," I said.

"Ah, you'd probably just go whine to your mommy. Oh wait, you can't. She's dead!" That was the last straw. I spun around and hit Jed good and hard on his jaw. Then I aimed a punch at his stomach. That's when he started fighting back. He hit me hard in the face then in my arms. I got him harder. I almost thought I really did break his nose. If I did, would that make me happy? Probably not, but it would make me feel a little better. I almost got Jed to the ground when someone from the crowd around (When did they get here?) broke us up. Looking at his suit, he was probably a teacher from Guinesborro High. Great.

"Boys what do you think you're doing?" he said. He was about fiftyish or so. He had reddish brown hair that was starting to fade. He looked pretty stern. I just noticed my nose was bleeding.

"Mr. Curtis! I didn't know you were here," Jed said. This teacher already knew him. So busted. Jed was a class act in school. This guy will never believe me.

**Pony's POV**

This is perfect. I'm just on my way home from the school on a day to surprise my wife by coming in early. Then I see one of my students in a brawl with another boy. This is just what I wanted to see.

The other kid looked to be about the same age as Jed and skinnier too. So I don't really understand how he came out with a bloody nose, and Jed's on the ground nearly doubled over in pain. The other kid had blond hair and grayish eyes. Somehow, I thought I already knew this kid.

"Mr. Curtis! I didn't know you were here," Jed said between gasps of breath. He was really hurt. Most of the other kids were helping him out. The other boy seemed injured too. He only had one friend trying to help him calm down.

"Jed, are you alright?" I said. Jed seemed really hurt. How did that boy manage to do this much damage? I tried to work my way through the crowd around Jed. He looked in pretty bad shape.

I looked over at the other kid. There wasn't a crowd of people around him. Only one black haired kid came to his aid.

"What happened here?" I asked Jed. He did the best he could to answer.

"That kid, Cam, tried to kill me!" he said. Everyone else seemed to be in agreement about this.

"Liar! I wasn't trying to kill you! You said-" I cut him off.

"Young man, you should know better than to fight," I said to him. Both him and the black haired kid looked at me in disbelief.

"Wait, listen!" the black haired kid said.

"I think I've seen enough," I said.

"You're being unfair! You didn't give me a chance to talk!" the other kid said.

"You know it's your fault! Don't try to hide it! You threw the first punch! Everyone saw you!" Jed yelled.

"Now, Jed calm down. We'll sort this out," I said. The other kid had different plans. He got up to speak.

"You know what? Forget it. Sorry, I kicked your friggin' behind again, Jed." The kid turned to me and I saw how intense his gray eyes really were.

"And I'm sorry you're such an unreasonable son of a bitch," he said. I looked at him in awe. Every other child in the park looked at him too.

"Now hold on a second," I said. But I didn't say anything in time. The kid and his friend were already walking off. I made sure to remember that kid's face next time I see him.

**Kendi's POV**

I heard Dad come home. It was only 4:30 and he was here. I went downstairs to greet him. Dad looked more stress than he usually did when he came home late.

"Pony, is something wrong?" Mom asked him. I wanted to ask the same thing. Did something happen at the school?

"No, just that on my way here, I had to break up a fight," he said. Oh, that's all. Dad breaks up fights all the time. That's the most inevitable thing about high school, the usual battle between two people or two groups. If there isn't at least one fight a month or even a week, then something's wrong with the kids at the school or they're just dang perfect.

"Where was it this time?" Mom asked.

"At the park," he said.

Dad looked pretty pissed off with having to break up a fight on the way here.

"Who was in it?" I asked. I was still curious about it.

"One of my students, Jed." Jed. I don't have a clue of who he is. "There was this other boy, too. I don't know his name. He had blond hair and grayish eyes. Seemed to be pretty tall, too. He was hanging around this black haired kid." That description I recognize. But Cameron in a fight? Yeah, I knew he could be a little bit of a hothead, but a fight? What kind of things has his father been teaching him?

"The blond kid had a bad attitude. Called me an unreasonable son of a bitch." Unlike some parents, Dad doesn't care about swearing in front of me. I knew most of the swear words, so what was the point in protecting me from them? I might need to have a talk with Cam about his swearing. I just hope Dad doesn't find out that the blond haired kid was the boy who kissed me last week. Things could worse than they already were around here if he did.

* * *

**A/N: It took me a while to write this chapter mostly because of school and other stuff I've got going on. Jay and I had a long conversation via e-mail about this chapter so I hope it was worth the two hours we spent talking. I might not be able to update as often as I like but I'll try. R&R please. It helps a lot when you tell me what you like about this story. **


	18. She's Back!

**Chapter Eighteen- She's Back!**

**A/N: I don't know if you remember that there were a few moments when the name Kapri is mentioned. She used to be Cam's girlfriend. And guess what? She's baaaaack! You'll see why, too. Warning: There is a flashback in this chapter.  
P.S. CMT's are OVER!**

Disclaimer: I do NOT own "The Outsiders." Any questions?

* * *

**Cameron's POV**

Kendi and I got to Spanish early, so we had some time to talk.

"If you're gonna ask, these bruises are not from my dad. I-" Kendi finished for me.

"-was in a fight at the park. I know, Cam."

"Wait, how?" I haven't told anyone about my fight with Jed yet.

"A teacher from Guinesborro High broke you guys up, right?" she said.

"Yeah. The bastard wouldn't even let me explain," I said. Kendi looked at me with a serious expression.

"Cam, that 'bastard' is my dad. He didn't really appreciate what you called him yesterday." I looked at her carefully to see if she was being serious. Oh shit. She is.

"Is there any way I can take back what I said?" I asked. How do I always mange to make a jackass of myself?

"No, but you could apologize," Kendi said.

"I can do that," I said. How hard is it to say, "I'm sorry?"

"Clase, we have a new student here," Señora Hernandez announced. Next to her, a girl with catlike green eyes and crimped hair was standing. She was well-dressed and wore expensive sunglasses over her eyes. I am dead.

"Rich bitch," I heard Kendi say under her breath. I could only stare.

**Kendi's POV**

"Rich bitch," I said under my breath. The girl looked like she just walked out of the cove of _Cosmo_. She had on a frilly pink miniskirt and a striped yellow and white polo. She had on these designer sunglasses on too. Her whole appearance just screamed, "Prep!" I try not to judge people but it's hard not to. She looked like the blond version of Valencia.

"This is Kapri Somers, class. I know you will all make her feel welcome." Señora makes it sound like Kapri came in the middle of the year instead of only two weeks after the first day.

Kapri takes a seat at one of the empty tables. I catch Cameron staring at her. Hey!

I stab Cameron with a pencil. He gives a slight jolt and then passes me a note since the teacher was already talking.

_What was that for?_

I write back to him.

_I caught you staring at the new girl, lover boy._

He passes it back.

_She's my ex-girlfriend._

Oh, no. He still has feelings for her.

_You still like her?_

Truth is, I was starting to like Cam a little. It's just a little so I can't get hurt if I'm rejected, right? Right?

Cam reads what I wrote and then looks at me like I was crazy. Maybe I was but Cam didn't know that.

_Why should I? I'm the one who broke up with her._

Just because he broke up with her doesn't mean he won't regret it. What if he still likes her? What if she still likes him? Then I've just bought a one-way ticket to broken heart. Snap out of it, Kendi. You're getting delusional again. Cam's only a friend. It won't matter if he goes out with someone else. But, still, the kiss…

_Why?_

Señora Hernandez looked at us suspiciously. Cam writes:

_I'll tell you later._

After Spanish, Kapri catches up with Cam. I wait patiently by the doorway.

"Oh my gawd! I haven't seen you in like forever!" Cam looks at her strangely.

"I saw you last year. It's only been three months."

"But, still, it felt like years, Cami!" Cam shudders at the name. I continue to wait outside the door for him. I hope he remembers that I'm right here.

"Don't call me that. We don't go out anymore," he said. Ouch. Kapri doesn't care.

"But it's cute!"

"It's embarrassing," Cam says. For the record, "Cami" doesn't seem like a good nickname for Cameron Talon. It doesn't fit him.

"Look, I gotta go," he says and he joins me happy to be free of her.

I've only known Kapri Somers for one period, and I already can't stand her.

**Roxie's POV**

"Who's the new preppy bitch?" I say to Kendi in social studies. I saw some blond with crimped hair come into the classroom dressed in Abercrombie and Bitch. Oh, I'm sorry. It's Fitch. Doesn't freakin' matter anyways.

"Kapri Somers," Kendi said sourly. Ooh, someone's tweaked.

"You already don't like her? Weren't you the one who said 'Give other people a chance'? What happened?"

"She lost her chance when she tried to flirt with Cameron." This is interesting.

"Someone's jealous," I said.

"I'm not jealous. I just think she was trying too hard, that's all," she said.

"Jealous…" Maya interrupted our conversation.

"Hey, guys. What are you talking about?" Maya asked.

"Kendi's jealous of the new girl," I said. Kendi kept her head down.

"Why?" Maya looked to Kendi for an answer.

"She tried to flirt with Cameron," I said. Maya looked sympathetically to Kendi.

"Aw, come on Kendi! You know that Cameron likes you. He wouldn't have kissed you if-"

"I don't like him!" Kendi yelled loudly.

"Alright. Sheesh. Don't have to yell," Maya said. Class started and Maya and I spent the rest of the period looking over at the new girl, Kapri. What could Cam ever see in her?

**Kapri's POV**

I was only on that Caribbean cruise for about a month and I only came to school two weeks late so why don't I see any familiar faces? I saw Cami at first period and he still looked as cute as ever. He didn't seem too excited though. Maybe he regrets breaking up with me. Then we could get back together! I don't know why he broke up with me. We just had one fight and he just says, "We're through!" Cam forgot to call me when he promised. I know he remembered, though. Cami never forgets.

At social studies, I saw two gothic-looking girls talking to each other. Goths. They should get a few fashion tips and maybe the world wouldn't be so against them. The short, dark blond girl didn't look at me while I heard the other one call me a bitch. She's jealous, that's all. The dark blond girl was hanging out with Cam in Spanish. They were passing a note together. I saw Cam give her a strange look at one point. She even waited by the door for him. Desperate.

I sat next to a girl named Valencia. She had red hair held up with sparkly barrettes.

"Cute barrettes," I said.

"Thanks," she said. We started talking a little before class started.

"Do you know Cameron Talon?" she asked.

"Yeah, we used to go out," I said.

"Lucky. Isn't he the hottest boy of Kesata High?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Did you break up with him?"

"No, he broke up with me. But not for long." I still liked Cam. He's got the most gorgeous hair. Not too long but not geeky short either.

"That's too bad. I heard that Kendi Curtis likes him. Might want to watch it if you're gonna get him back."

"Who's Kendi?" I asked.

"You see that blond Goth talking to that other Goth Japanese girl?" I looked over. Someone else had joined the two Goths. This one had brown hair and also wore a black shirt. How many of them are there in this school?

"She doesn't stand a chance. I saw her in Spanish. One word: Hopeless."

"I wouldn't be too sure. I heard that she said Cam kissed her." I thought about the first time Cam and I kissed. It was sweet. No way someone else was going to take those moments from me.

"She's lying."

"Probably is. Cam wouldn't ask her out. He only talks to her 'cause he feels sorry for her."

"Yeah." Class started and Valencia passed me a note:

_Why don't we go talk to him during lunch?_

I answered:

_Okay._

**Cameron's POV**

I cannot believe Kapri is back. She's back, and she hasn't changed that much. Somehow, in another time, Kapri and I used to get along okay. She was my girlfriend at one point after all. But Kapri was pretty high-maintenance and I wasn't too good with trying to give her what she wanted. I gave her a flower for Valentine's Day; she wanted a bouquet. I gave her a CD; she wanted concert tickets. I made her chocolate cake (with Dan's help) for her birthday and she wanted strawberry. Sometimes, enough is enough. Jarod, Zonks and Saban constantly told me to break it off. I never really felt the need to until one day when Kapri yelled at me for not calling even when I had a pretty good excuse.

_Flashback_

"Cam Talon, why didn't you call me? I was waiting by the phone all night and you didn't even bother to leave a message!" Kapri yelled. It was lunchtime for all us eighth graders here. Kapri was acting more like a second grader. I was still groggy from last night. Dad yelled at me for not washing the dishes. It was Rodney's turn but Dad didn't bother to listen. I was about to call Kapri when Dad took my wrist suddenly and slammed it on the table. It hurt like hell and I knew immediately that it was broken. Dan had to drive me to the hospital. I told them that I fell off my bike when they asked. They believed me. They gave me a bunch of pain relievers and made me stay for the night. I think some of the painkillers have yet to wear off; I'm still drowsy.

I remember what Dad had said when he saw that my wrist was broken.

"It was a accident, I swear!" Dad has grammar problems.

"I was at the hospital, Kapri," I said. I thought she'd understand. I was wrong.

"Oh, for what?" I raised my cast so she could see.

"I cracked a bone on my wrist when I fell off my bike."

"You could've at least tried to call," Kapri said.

"I did, " I said. I did and my dad slammed my wrist on the table. And at the hospital, I was too doped up on meds to even speak clearly or dial a friggin' number.

"Oh? How?" Kapri asked expecting an answer. I don't give her one. For once I didn't have an excuse to replace the truth about my drunken dad. I keep silent and hope she lets it end.

"Will you two stop fighting?" Zonks said from the table next to us. "It's getting annoying."

"Really annoying," Saban added.

"Who asked you guys to talk?" Kapri said. This is getting ridiculous.

"Look, Kapri. I'm sorry I didn't call. I meant to but instead I break my wrist. I'm sorry. Isn't that enough?" Kapri thinks for a moment.

"Oh, all right," she said reluctantly. Jarod looked at me and shook his head. I was giving in to her again.

After lunch, I thought about how much did I really want to be Kapri's boyfriend. Did I really want to go through this over and over? It's already been a few months but it was getting aggravating. Kapri's either full of attitude or totally needy and spoiled. I decided by the end of seventh period what I was going to do.

"Kapri, we need to talk," I said before eighth period started.

"Sure, Cami!" I hated that nickname. More than hated it, loathed it. No matter how many times I asked her not to, she always insisted on calling me that.

"Can you please not call me that?"

"Why not? It's cute."

"It's annoying."

"If we're gonna be boyfriend and girlfriend, we could at least have pet names." At the words, "boyfriend" and girlfriend," I shook my head and said, "That's the thing. I wanna break up. I don't think we should be together." There. I said it. Kapri looked at me blankly.

"You're kidding, right?" she said.

"Sorry." That's all I could really say. I almost said that I really was joking but decided against it. I had to do this. Kapri looked ready to cry and I don't handle tears to well. But I stayed with her in case she needed a tissue or two. Or a thousand. Then Kapri walked off to her next class without saying a word and soon, I did, too.

_End Flashback_

I saw Kendi at lunchtime. She was the only one at our table so I joined her.

"Hey."

"Hi Cam." A few moments of silence followed.

"So, why'd you break up with Kapri?"

"Long story."

"How long?"

"Too long," I said with a smirk. She smiled back at me to let me know she got it. Kendi's sleeve was rolled up a little. On her arm, I saw a few lines, scars. They looked recent too.

"Kendi, what's on your arm?" I said. Kendi looked at her arm and then a look of horror came across her face. She quickly pulled down her sleeve.

"I…uh… well, it's…" Kendi couldn't think of anything in time. I figured out what was going on. Kendi put those scars on herself.

"You cut, huh?" Kendi looked away from me, ashamed.

"It's all right. Doesn't matter to me if you do," I said. I'm not sure if I mean it. I add, "But if that's the truth, don't… don't hurt yourself too much. It'd be pretty bad if we lost you." Kendi still won't look at me. I try to say something else.

"I promise I won't tell if you promise not to tell about my dad," I said. She looked at me.

"I already promised you that," she said.

"Then we have an agreement," I said. She smiled. I'm not sure if I did. I don't understand people who hurt themselves intentionally. Why do they do it? I want to ask Kendi but I decide to ask her another time. I don't know if I meant it when I said it didn't matter to me. But I know I meant it when I said it'd be pretty bad if we lost her. I know I meant that.

I'd mean it too if I said I was worried about her. I had a feeling that there was something behind her cutting that was hurting as well.

* * *

**A/N: Cam's a good guy. I hope you all knew that. Pony might not be able to see that so easily though so sparks may fly soon. And now Kapri and Valencia have made an alliance so now there going to unleash dual snobbiness! I'm not sure if that's a word, but oh well. More to come soon! R&R.**


	19. Uneasy Encounters

**Chapter Nineteen- Uneasy Encounters**

**A/N: Sorry it took so long. Something was wrong with my computer and I couldn't upload any documents. But now I can! So far there are some pairings have either been made or are in the works. Rawley and Roxie have been established and Kendi and Cameron are coming together. Now all Kendi needs to do is convince Pony that Cameron is a nice guy even though he was in a fight at the park and called him a very bad name. That's not gonna be simple. Anyways, Residents of Mangled City has another rehearsal. Enjoy.**

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Outsiders." I also don't own "Dirty Little Secret." It just fit in with the story so I borrowed it. The All-American Rejects own that awesome song.

* * *

**Saban's POV**

Cam and Kendi were already at the table when I got there. Kendi looked kind of self-conscious and Cam seemed to be comforting her. What's going on?

"Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing," Cam said. Kendi's head was still down.

"Something wrong, Kendi?" I asked. She shook her head.

"It's the cafeteria food," Cam said.

"Of course. If that's the case you might want to go to the nurse or something," I said. People were always getting sick around here.

"I'm fine, Saban. Thanks anyway," Kendi said. She speaks! Alert the media!

"You sure? We wouldn't want you sick for this afternoon's rehearsal," I said. Ain't that the truth. We'd only done a couple of rehearsal's with Kendi and they'd all went well. Even Jarod had to admit that having a girl in the band was pretty cool. With her at the mic, everything seems to pull together.

Jarod and Zonks came later.

"Heard about your fight yesterday with Jed," Jarod said. "Told that guy off, huh? Maybe he'll think before assuming next time he sees a fight." He was talking about the teacher who broke them up.

"He was probably just trying to protect his precious student. You know how teachers can be sometimes," Zonks added. Cam started to look discomforted by the subject. You'd think he'd be proud of telling off a teacher but he looked pretty shameful of it. Kendi looked a little annoyed. Something told me I was missing a little bit of info here.

"Uh… actually, that teacher I told off was Kendi's dad," Cam said. I choked on my food.

"Are you serious?" I said looking at Kendi. She nodded slightly.

"Damn, that's bad. What are you gonna do Cam? Her dad might ban her from the band if he finds out that you're in it," Zonks said.

"Kendi's dad wouldn't be that harsh," Jarod said confidently. Kendi had another view.

"Oh, yes he will. Dad's already not supportive of me being in a band with all guys so he might just blow his top about this one," Kendi said.

"Are you joking?" Zonks said.

"I wish."

"Your dad always that harsh?" I asked.

"Only when he really cares," Kendi said.

"You seriously believe that?" Jarod said ruthlessly. Jarod had a less than perfect relationship with his parents. I haven't figured out why. Zonks and his parents get along okay. My dad left years ago and I haven't seen him in the longest time. Mom and I are pretty close, though. I don't think Cam and his dad talk at all. But I wouldn't know. Cam hates talking about his parents. He lost his mom at eight. I still remember going to the hospital and listening to Cam ask the nurse where his mom was while he was on his hospital bed. None of us had the heart to tell him the truth. Mrs. Talon was pretty nice when she was alive. We all took it hard when she passed away.

"Jarod, just because you can't get along with your parents doesn't mean you can criticize other people who do," I said.

"Whatever. Parents keep trying to treat you like a baby no matter how old you get. It's like that from pre-school to college," Jarod muttered.

"So, have your parents always been protective of you?" I said.

"Pretty much," Kendi said. Maya and Roxie came later.

"That line is way too long! I think Rawley got stuck in the back again," Roxie said. "Hey, Zonks. Hey Jarod. Hey Saban. Hey Camel." Cam cringed at the name.

"Hello, RoxStar," he said.

"So, you guys met that new girl?" Maya asked. Cam made a frustrated expression.

"You mean Kapri? God, she's still a spoiled brat," Jarod said. Oh great. Kapri's back. No wonder Cam's so irritated. Kapri made the queen of England look low-maintenance. She demanded a lot of attention. It was about time when Cam broke up with her.

"I heard she was on a cruise over the summer," Maya said.

"Knowing how much her parents treat her, she probably got to ride on a private yacht," I said.

"Remember when Cam made her that chocolate cake for her birthday and she made a big deal of how it wasn't strawberry?" Zonks mentioned.

"Oh yeah, I remember that. Then she refused to eat it 'cause she said it was too fattening," Cam said.

" Seriously? She did that? I'd be happy if a guy remembered my birthday," Kendi said.

"Amen to that," Maya added.

"Kapri should go to hell," Roxie said.

"That's not the worse she's done. She even tried to get into the band," I said.

"You guys talking about Kapri?" Rawley said as he took a seat next to Roxie. It still hasn't sunk in yet that Rawley and Roxie were going out. It's still weird. But neither of them are normal so that was to be expected.

"Yeah. Remember when she tried to sing 'Bring Me to Life?' There wasn't one note in that song that she didn't screw up!" I said.

"She sounded like a banshee!" Cam said. He's not going out with her anymore so it's okay for him to rank on her singing. It's hard not to.

"Hey you guys! Long time no see!" Great. Kapri really is back. I'd never forget that whiny voice. She brought a friend too. Valencia.

"What do you preps want?" Roxie said. The two girls just sneered at her. Tina and Kathy were standing behind them. They looked bored.

"None of your business, Goth," Kapri said. She meant it as an insult but Roxie gladly took it as a compliment.

"So, the rehearsal today is at your house again, right Cam?" she said. I thought she was just trying to spite Kapri but I wasn't sure. Kapri's mouth gaped open.

"You guys let _her_ in the band? But I thought you said you didn't want any girls in Presidents of Mongel City?"

"Residents of Mangled City," Zonks corrected her.

"Whatever." Then Kapri looked at Cam. "Why can't I be in the band?" she whined, "I'm a good singer."

"Actually, you could use a little bit of work on your voice," Cam said. That was his way of saying, "You suck at singing!" But Cam's too nice to say it that way.

"But I can sing! I'll show you!" Then she started singing a few lines of "Toxic."

"Stop! You're making my ears bleed!" Roxie yelled. I already hated that song, but now I wish it was never created. Kapri kept on singing.

"Would you stop it already? You can't sing for shit!" Kendi said. Kapri stopped and gave Kendi some sort of death glare. Kendi glared back.

"Why don't you two leave," Cam said. He was pretty peeved with Kapri and her awful singing. Who could blame him?

Kapri and Valencia left and we got back to our original conversation. Won't be too long before rehearsal.

**Kendi's POV**

Again, I am left waiting for Cam and Rawley to show up so we can go over to Cam's house. This time, though, Maya and Roxie are with me waiting. They showed up soon and we headed to Cam's house.

Let me just say that ever since the first rehearsal I was always less than eager to go to Cameron's house. The memory of his father hitting me was still fresh in my mind. I could only hope that his father wouldn't be there when while I was around. I still felt bad about leaving Cam alone with his abusive dad, though.

Roxie, Rawley, and Maya took a few seats to the side while Cam and I set up our guitars. The rest of the band came a few minutes later. Cameron took the mic and we decided to play "Dirty Little Secret" first. Cam sang it and did backing vocals although without a microphone, you couldn't hear me.

_"Let me know that I've done wrong__  
When I've known this all along__  
Go around a time or two__  
Just to waste my time with you  
Tell me all that you've thrown away  
Find out games you don't wanna play  
You are the only one that needs to know  
I'll keep you my dirty little secret  
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret  
My dirty little secret  
Who has to know?"_

We kept playing and I could see Roxie trying to get everyone to headbang from the corner of my eye. Then the bridge kicked in.

_"The way she feels inside  
Those thoughts I can't deny  
These sleeping dogs won't lie  
And all I've tried to hide  
It's eating me apart  
Trace this line back!"_

We kept playing and Cameron kept singing until the very last note. Then when we finished, Maya called out, "Encore!" Then we got ready to play another song. The thing is, we didn't know which song.

"Hey, why don't we play that one that Kendi wrote?" Zonks suggested. The song he was talking about was "Live Without Me." I wrote it with Dana in mind. The guys didn't know that though. I got up at the mic and started playing the intro. It was soft and slow. Then Cam joined me with his guitar and soon Saban did too.

_"So this is how it goes  
We've come so far into the unknown  
With nothing left to show  
Where we've been  
And this, this is how it is  
Oh, how I'll miss  
The way you insist  
That everything's okay  
I'm giving up slowly  
With no one else to show me  
What it's like to be alive  
Oh, I'm breaking down soon."_

As we approached the chorus, we all got louder until it was deafening.

_"And I'm just trying to make you see  
That you don't need anyone beside you to go on  
And I just wanna make you believe  
That you can LIVE WITHOUT ME! LIVE WITHOUT ME!  
And this is what is left  
It's all a stupid test  
To get us to confess   
What's killing us inside   
And we've been down this road before  
Been constantly ignored   
And then they shut the door right in our face   
I'm giving up slowly  
With no one else to show me   
What it's like to be alive   
Oh, I'm breaking down soon   
And I'm just trying to make you see   
That you don't need anyone beside you to go on   
And I just wanna make you believe  
That you can LIVE WITHOUT ME! LIVE WITHOUT ME!   
And I've held on for so long   
I'm losing my grip   
It's so far and so hard to go through with this  
I've been wronged and I'm done   
Losing this fight  
__And I just dream that you'll see  
That you'll have a better life!"_

Then with one final chorus we finished playing the song. I hope I don't end up crying if someone asks me why I wrote this song.

**Cameron's POV**

Rehearsal went by fast. One minute we were playing Kendi's song and then the next we were packing up to go home. Everyone had left and it was just Kendi and me again. Rodney was here too. I hope Mr. Curtis gets here before Dad comes down.

"You got into a fight with Jed again?" he said.

"Again? Meaning this has happened before?" Kendi said.

"Yep. Last year," Rod said.

"You don't have to tell her," I said.

"She asked, I answered," Rod said.

"Why'd you fight him the first time?" Kendi asked me.

"Jed bullied Cam throughout middle school so he figured he'd give him a taste of his own medicine," Rod said.

"I can say it myself, you know."

"Nice. Got suspended?" Kendi said.

"Two weeks," I said.

"Wow," Kendi said. "Why'd you fight him yesterday?" I had to think back for a moment. Then I remembered why I landed that first punch on Jed's jaw.

"He made fun of my mom being dead," I said. Kendi's eyes got wide.

"Jerk," she said.

"Did I even tell you about my mom being dead?"

"Once, I think."

Rod looked disheartened by the memory of Mom's death. Whenever I thought about her gone, I try to ignore it. She's gone, and she wouldn't want me mourning for the rest of my life. She'd want me to get on with my life, and that's exactly what I'm doing. I'm moving on.

"She died in a car accident. I was ten and Cam was eight." Rod couldn't say anything more. So I said it.

"I was in the car with her when it happened." Kendi looked understandingly at me.

"At least you know who your mom was. I still don't know who my biological parents are," she said.

"You're adopted?" Rod asked. She nodded.

"I went to a bunch of foster homes before getting adopted," she said. Foster home. That's where I'd end up if a social worker found out about dad being a drunk. The reality of it hits me hard. I could be separated from Dan and Rod if anyone else discovered that Dad hit me. It scares me.

"Did you meet anyone?" Rod said.

"I used to have a sister,' Kendi said. Used to. That couldn't mean anything good.

"Really?" I say.

"Kind of. We weren't really sisters but she was someone who protected me like an older sister," she said.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Long, long story,' she said. She meant it too.

"You've got time," Rod said. Kendi looked down for a moment.

"Okay, I'll tell you. But it might take a while."

**Kendi's POV**

I thought it would be hard to talk about Dana. But it was easier than I thought. The words just slipped out and I told them everything. Demitri, Gordon, Ms. Coley, and even Chris. By the time I was done, Cameron and Rodney knew every detail of Dana's suicide.

"Chris was a real jerk to you," Rodney said.

"Is that the only thing you remember?" Cam said.

"No," Rod said.

Cam looked at me with sympathy in his eyes. I felt like I could drown in eyes. Damn, I'm drifting off again.

The doorbell rang and I knew it was my dad. Cam looked worried. I hope Dad won't be too hard on him. Cameron couldn't help but beat the crap out of Jed. I would've joined in if I were there.

Rodney, Cameron, and I went to answer the door. When we opened it, dad was standing there. He took one look at Cameron and immediately frowned at him Cam flinched. Dad recognized him.

**Pony's POV**

That boy. That boy from the park was here. He was standing right here with my daughter. I remembered his face. He didn't look comfortable standing in front of me. His brother was standing behind him. Kendi introduced us.

"Uh, Dad, this is Cameron and his brother Rodney, and guys, this is my dad."

"Hi," Rodney said. Cameron looked like he had something to say.

"Uh, I wanted to say that I was sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to hurt Jed that badly and I didn't mean to call you that," he said. Saying that took guts. Cameron sounded like he meant it too. He was trying very hard to look me in the eye.

"I accept it, for now. But try not to get into too many fights in the future," I said. I was still not sure about this kid. He might mean what he's saying or he might just be a good actor. Or Kendi could've put him up to this. I'm not certain.

"I will," he said. Then Kendi got her guitar and we headed home.

"Kendi, I'm not sure if I can let you come into this boy's house again," I said.

"What?"

"I don't know him that well, and neither do you. I don't want you getting hurt because of him."

"But he told you he was sorry! He meant it! Why don't you believe him?"

"You came home one day with a bruise and I've caught this boy in a fight. That doesn't look too good in my opinion."

"Dad, I told you already! I ran into a door that time! Cam had nothing to do with it!"

"I still don't know Kendi."

"Dad, you don't even know what the fight as about."

"Jed told me that Cameron just decided to pick a fight and that he has done so in the past. What's Cameron's side of the story?" I was willing to listen to what Cam told her.

"That Jed made some comment about his mom being dead and that Jed was the one looking for a fight."

"I highly doubt that an honor student like Jed would go out looking for a fight with someone."

"Cam's also pretty smart too. Grades don't tell you what they could do outside of school."

"Kendi, I'll see but I don't know if I can let you be with Cameron alone."

"If he was Dally, you'd be fine with it," I heard her mutter. Thinking about Dallas Winston made me silent.

* * *

**A/N: Pony is just trying to protect his daughter like any other parent. He's not trying to be mean. I did write the song, "Live Without Me," if any of you guys were wondering. I want to put more original songs on this story. I hope you like them. R&R **


	20. What's Eating Cameron Talon?

**Chapter Twenty- What's Eating Cameron Talon?**

**A/N: Hello, again! This is the twentieth chapter and the title of it might give you a hint of what it's about. Thanks to all of my reviewers for taking the time to read my story and to give me some feedback. And for putting up with my slow updating routine.**

**Kapri: Everyone loves me!  
RL1110: No, they don't. They hate you.  
Kapri: But I'm so likable!  
RL1110: (rolls eyes) I think I need another trashcan. **

Disclaimer: S.E. Hinton owns "The Outsiders," and I'm just a crazy fan of her work.

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**Zonks's POV**

I hate Mondays. Mondays mean that there are still four days ahead of you until the weekend. As my parents would say, "They keep the soul in a very closed space with no freedom for creativity." My parents are weird but they do have a point.

I had Algebra first period. I wasn't smart enough, like Cam, to get into Geometry, but I wasn't so dumb that I had to take Pre-Algebra all over again like Saban. Jarod was taking Algebra part one. I think the school board separated us on purpose.

Maya sat at one of the desks.

"Hey Zoinks," she said when she saw me.

"It's Zonks," I said tiredly. I don't know if Maya calls me that on purpose, or if she seriously does forget my name. Well, it's better than my real name: Zephyr. I couldn't stand that name and I begged to have my name changed. My parents didn't let me so I made one up of my own. At least Zonks wasn't as weird as Zephyr. Jarod sometimes called me that just to get me mad. I'd get over it though. I can never stay mad unless something really horrible had happened.

"Oh, sorry," Maya said.

"It's fine."

Ms. Sal collects our homework. When I turn up with nothing, she smiles at me and says, "Just try to get it in to me tomorrow and you can still get credit." That's one of the reasons why I like being in Algebra rather than Geometry; Ms. Sal cuts you some slack when you forget something. According to Cam and Kendi, their Geometry teacher, Mr. Danza, doesn't care if you get it in to him only a day late. If you don't have it when he asks you for it, you get an immediate zero. Even if you have a perfectly good excuse and a note signed by your parents. If you don't have it, you have a zero.

Maya did her homework. I hope it was worth the ten minutes she spent before first period to do it. I saw her at her locker frantically trying to get it done. She still did it even when I said that Ms. Sal would probably give her a break on it.

Okay, it's not that I'm lazy, but sometimes I forget that I'm supposed to be doing something when I start playing the drums. One time I played the drums and when I looked at the clock, it was almost time to go to school. I lose track of time easily. It's not because I'm lazy that I don't do my homework. I'm just disorganized. The real lazy-ass of our group is Saban. God knows how he made it into high school having done only one homework assignment all year. It was turned in incomplete, too.

I tried paying attention to the lesson but my mind kept drifting off. One minute, I was completely in tuned to Ms. Sal's lecture on integers and whatnot, and the next, my mind is off in space wondering what it would be like if the band got a record deal. I snapped back to reality when I heard Ms. Sal say the most dreaded words ever said in a math class: "Pop quiz!"

Dang it! I do horribly on any kind of quiz, especially a pop quiz. Why couldn't they give us a warning? Oh, yeah. That's the whole point.

Maya seemed confused too, but at least she got some of the answers down. I looked at my paper. Nothing but blanks on it. I try my best but I already know I've failed.

As Ms. Sal collects the quizzes, she looks at mine and tells me, "Zonks, if you only made a little more of an effort to pay attention in class, maybe you'll be able to answer more questions correctly." I do make an effort. It's just not enough.

I'm relieved when first period is over. Second period for me was an elective: Beginning percussion. It's my escape. Maya's in this class with me too. Sometimes I try to help her out, but she likes to figure things out on her own.

Soon after, it's lunchtime and Maya and I walk to the cafeteria together. On the way, Kapri makes a dirty face at us when she passes us. Maya flips her the bird.

"I hate her," Maya says.

"Join the club. We've had plenty of time to hate her," I said. It still grosses me out that Kapri used to be Cam's girlfriend.

We wait in line with Roxie. Rawley and Kendi are already at the table. Saban's getting stuck at the back of the line again and Cam's up at the front with Jarod. Saban really needs to learn to stop being a slowpoke.

**Jarod's POV**

Ha ha! Zonks is in the back of the line with Roxie and Maya. All the food will run out before Saban gets to the line. That's not a surprise. Cameron is behind me and he seems quiet. Real quiet. Cam can be quiet sometimes but not this quiet. I almost forgot he was even there.

"Hey Cam. You in there?" I said to him as we went over to our table. Kendi and Rawley were already there.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," he said. This is weird.

"Something wrong?" I said again. He only got that solemn expression if something bad had happened. The last time I remember seeing it was when his grandpa died last year.

"You alright, Cam?" Rawley said.

"Yeah," Cam said. Kendi didn't seem convinced.

"Cam, is something bugging you?" Kendi says.

"I'm fine you guys. How many times do I have to tell you?" he snapped.Whoa. Cam never snaps at Kendi. None of us do.

"Sorry," he said when he realized what he did. I've known Cam since second grade and yet I still never figure out when he's gonna blow at us. No one ever knows what goes through the complicated mind of Cameron Talon. No one.

**Cameron's POV**

I didn't mean to go off on Kendi like that. I really didn't. I just didn't feel like talking about yesterday right now. Dan's pissed with me. Again. I came home late yesterday from the movies. I didn't know it was going to be that long. Dan wanted me to be home at eight and instead I come in at nine thirty. I was only an hour and a half late. At least I came home. Dan yelled at me when I walked through the door. Jim was the one who dropped me off that night. Jim's about seventeen and he used to be one of Rodney's old band mates. Dan never liked it when I got rides with him even though Jim is Rod's friend.

_Flashback_

"Where have you been?" Dan had said when I got home.

"Sorry, I didn't think the movie would last that long," I explained. Dan didn't want to hear it.

"You know, I was about to call the cops! Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"

"I didn't mean to," I said defensively. "I just didn't think that…"

"Cam, that's the same excuse you always give me! When will you learn to actually use your goddamn head?" Dan yelled. I'd really set him off this time.

"Dan, let him be. He got here safe and sound, right?" Rod said. Dan always listened to Rod. **(Is this sounding familiar?) **

"Rod, don't stand up for him this time! You always stick up for him!" I got mad. No one ever yells at Rodney.

"Hey, don't yell at him!" I said. Dan turned around and hit me hard across the face.

It's one thing when Dad hits me, but it's a whole other thing if my own brother hits me. Dad's too drunk to even know what he's doing. I can take it when he smacks me. But this is Dan. He's my oldest brother. He knows what he's doing. Dammit, is it any wonder why I get along better with Rod than Dan?

Dan looks at his hand. It's red. He looks at me and says, "Cam, I didn't mean to..." But I don't want to hear it. I head straight for the front door. I want to run out but Rod restrains me.

"You're not going anywhere, Cam." So instead, I just run into my room and slam the door as hard as I can.

It's a sad day when you end up hating your own brother.

_End Flashback_

I haven't spoken to Dan ever since last night, and I don't plan to.

**Kendi's POV**

Cameron looked pretty out of it. Did his dad hit him again? I want to ask but he's already snapped at me and I don't think he's that cheery today.

"So, next rehearsal tomorrow?" Zonks said trying to change the subject.

"Sure," Jarod said.

"Okay," Saban said.

"I'll see," I said. I still had to ask my parents about it. I doubt Dad was going to say yes but maybe mom will let me.

On the way out of the cafeteria, I see Rodney about to go to his next class. I wondered if he knew what was bugging Cam.

"Hey, Rodney," I said to him. He saw me.

"Hey, Kendi. How you doing?"

"Fine. Is Cam okay? He kind of seemed moody at lunch today." Rod's slight smile turned glum.

"Oh. Yeah, he and Dan got into a fight yesterday. I think he's still sore about it," Rodney said. I had a feeling he wasn't telling me everything but I decided to just leave it alone. Rodney didn't look like he wanted to talk about it.

Nobody seems to want to talk anymore.

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**A/N: I know it's short. I want to post another story while still updating this one. Then again, maybe I'll just wait until I finish this one. I don't know yet. Please review everybody! Even if it's only to remind me to update! **


	21. When In Doubt, Get Mom On Your Side

**Chapter Twenty-One- When In Doubt, Get Mom On Your Side**

**A/N: Like the title? It's a strategy Kendi uses to be allowed to go to the rehearsal at Cam's house again. Ever tried it? I haven't. Yet. Well, anyways, what happens when Cameron asks Kendi about her cutting? Guess you'll just have to find out.**

**Valencia and Kapri: Why aren't we in this chapter?  
RL1110: (Ignores question) Will you two leave? I've got other things to do here!  
Valencia and Kapri: (scowl at RL1110)  
RL1110: (scowls back)  
Kendi: Staring contest?  
RL1110: The preps are being whiny again.  
Kendi: I think you got other things to worry about. Like the chapter that still needs to be written?  
RL1110: Oh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me. On with the story now. **

Disclaimer: By now you should know what should be written here.

* * *

**Kendi's POV**

When I get home, I immediately ask my Mom if I can go to Cam's house tomorrow.

"Sure, sweetie," she says. Obviously, Dad hasn't told her about Cam yet. Might as well keep it that way.

Later that night, Mom mentions the rehearsal at the dinner table.

"So, Kendi, how are the rehearsals going?"

"Fine," I say.

"Are you getting along with the boys?"

"Yeah. They let me join the band, you know."

"What's the band's name?"

"Residents of Mangled City." Mom looks at me like I'm joking.

"That's an original name," she says.

"Cam thought of it," I said.

Dad arrives a few minutes late.

"Hi, Dad," I say. I have already finished my plate of spaghetti.

"Hello, Pony," Mom says. I used to smirk a lot whenever Mom called him "Pony." Now I'm used to it. "Pony, Kendi has another rehearsal tomorrow. Do you think you can pick her up again?"

Dad looks at me incredulously.

"Kendi, didn't I tell you that I wasn't sure about letting you go to that boy's house?" he said. Oops. I forgot about that. (Not really)

"Why do you have a problem with letting Kendi go to this boy's house? You were fine with it the last few times," Mom said. Dad hadn't told her about Cameron yet.

"That boy was in that fight at the park that I told you about," Dad said.

"The one that happened last Thursday?"

"Yes."

"His name's Cameron if anybody was curious," I said knowing that they weren't paying attention.

"What did the boy say when he saw you?" Mom asked.

"He apologized."

"So, maybe he really is sorry for it. You could at least give him a chance," Mom said.

"Cherry, how do you know this boy won't do something to hurt Kendi?"

"His name's Cameron," I say again. No one listens.

"Pony, you're being silly. If Kendi trusts him, could he really hurt her? You said it yourself that Kendi usually has good judgment."

"Usually. Not always." Um… does anyone notice I'm right here? Listening to every word?

"Dad, Cam's not a bad guy. He really isn't. Please just give him a chance," I say not expecting anyone to listen.

"Pony, I think you should try and listen to Kendi. After all, she knows this boy better than both of us." Finally, someone listens to me!

"Are you sure about this boy, Kendi?" Dad asks me. I nod my head.

"Ponyboy, maybe you really should give Cameron a chance. Kendi wouldn't defend him against you if she knew he was no good." Mom and I put up puppy dog faces for Dad. I make my eyes extra wide and innocent.

Dad gives in. "Alright, alright. You can go Kendi. But I'm giving him one last chance. Only one." I jump up and hug Dad.

"Thank you thank you thank you, Daddy!" I say. He just hugs me back.

"You're welcome, Kendi. Just don't make me regret this," he says. Well, that's uplifting. Anyways, Cameron couldn't get in any more trouble. Could he? It occurs to me that I haven't known Cam that long. But that won't matter. I can tell he's not bad.

**Cameron's POV**

I definitely do not feel like going home and waiting for Dan to come. But if I go over to Rawley's house, I would have to call Dan to let him know to pick me up. I would have to talk to him. You know what, I doubt I wanna do that. So I go home and wait for my brothers to show up. Rodney's at his job at the food court. Rawley had some after school stuff going on so I'm home alone. Unless, of course, you count the intoxicated oaf upstairs, a.k.a. my dad. I'm not really supposed to be home alone with Dad. If we start fighting, there would be no one to stop us.

My cell phone rings. I gotta start remembering to turn this thing off. It's only a simple ringtone, no music tones or anything special. I hear a moan upstairs and I pray that Dad doesn't wake up before Rod gets here.

"Hello?" I say.

"Hello, it's Kendi," the other voice says.

"Oh, hey Kendi," I say.

"Hi." Silence. Have we already run out of things to talk about?

"Well, I just wanted to let you know that my dad said it's okay for me to go to the rehearsal tomorrow."

"That's great," I say. More silence.

"So, tomorrow after school?"

"Yeah." I want to say something else. I can't bring myself to though.

"Well, see you tomorrow."

"Wait, can I ask you something?" I knew what I wanted to say.

"What?"

"Why do you cut?" This question had been bothering me ever since I saw those scars on her arm. Was she okay? Was there anything wrong? Was her family as messed up as mine?

"I thought you'd already figured that out," she said. Was she serious?

"What do you mean?"

"I told you… about… Dana," she said. The last words come out slowly as if it were painful to say them.

"That's why you cut? 'Cause your friend did?"

"No, it's… I can't really explain it."

"You don't know?"

"I guess."

"Why don't you stop then?"

"I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?"

"I just can't." It sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to hurt you. I was just wondering."

"It's okay. I'm fine."

"Well, if you don't want to tell me then it's okay. See you tomorrow."

"See you." I shut my cell phone and immediately turn it off. What did she mean by she can't? Was she addicted? Can cutting be addicting? Should I let someone know? No, I can't do that. I already promised I wouldn't. Still, I couldn't help that there may be something else going through Kendi's head other than someone else's suicide.

Is she dying, too?

* * *

**A/N: I know it took a long time and that this chapter is really short. I didn't mean for it to be but I'd been busy (Carly, you know what I mean). Anyways, I promise that I'll try and write a longer chapter next time. Review please, 'cause I would so appreciate it if you did.**

**Maya: I'm not in this chapter either.  
Roxie: Neither am I. Get over it.  
Maya: RL1110 needs to get over that writer's block of hers.  
RL1110: I don't have writer's block. I just have no idea how to continue the story at the moment.  
Maya: Right. Why don't you just send everybody to the shrink? All the characters here are pretty insane if you ask me.  
RL1110: (idea pops into her head) Hey, I just got a great idea! (opens notebook and starts writing)  
Roxie: Hey what is it?  
Maya: Yeah, tell us!  
(RL1110 is too absorbed in her writing to respond)  
Maya: Hey don't send _me _to the shrink! **


	22. A Little Thing Called Sanity

**Chapter Twenty Two- A Little Thing Called Sanity**

**A/N: We all know we're a little insane in a way. Show me a person who is not even the slightest bit weird and I'll show you the most boring person in the world. No one's normal. Life's just not interesting without all our little quirks. So next time someone calls you a weirdo, thank that person for their compliment (it confuses them so much!).**

**Kapri: I'm totally normal!  
RL1110: (sarcastically) Yeah, any normal person would turn down a chocolate cake made by their boyfriend.  
Kendi: I know. I'd love to get a cake on my birthday (Hint hint).  
Cameron: Was I supposed to catch something there?**

Disclaimer: I wouldn't be writing a Fanfiction if I owned "The Outsiders" now, would I? But at least I own Residents of Mangled City!

* * *

**Maya's POV**

I've got English first period today. That's not too bad since Ms. Lisuke's a pretty nice teacher. She doesn't give us that much homework. Saban sits next to me in this class. Better than Emmet. That kid is such an asshole! Emmet sits a few seats away from me.

"Hi, Maya," I hear from behind me. I look around to see Saban's face looking at me.

"Hey," I say. He takes a seat next to me. Emmet passes us by glowering at us. Hey, I'm not the one who stuffed him in a trashcan so I don't know what the hell that was for. If it were me, he'd be at the dump by now.

After English, my next class was Science. Saban was in this class with me too. Jarod, also. Damn, I'm in the same class with everyone from RMC except for Cameron. That is proof that life is not fair. Roxie's got a class with Cam for God's sake! At least I think she does. I really don't know.

"Hey, Birthday Boy actually came to school today!" Jarod said.

"Very funny. You know my mom would never let me cut school for anything," Saban said.

"Oh, it's your birthday? Happy Birthday," I say.

"Thanks," Saban says. We had to get to our seats. It was a sub today so Jarod and Saban switched seats in attempt to confuse her. My job was to be the "good student" who lets her know that they were telling the truth. Even though they're not.

"I'm Jarod and I'm as happy as a clown," Saban said with the widest and fakest smile I had ever seen.

"And I'm Saban. I actually do my work," Jarod said. It took a lot of effort not to crack up. We all knew that Saban was the biggest procrastinator and lazy bum of the ninth grade and that Jarod was in serious need of anger management because he always seems to want to use everyone as his punching bag. He doesn't dare hit Kendi or me though. Mostly because Roxie's our best friend and likes to kick people under our table.

"Saban stop throwing those paper airplanes and watch the movie!" the sub said to Jarod during the National Geographic video. Why can't we do something useful when subs are here? Why don't we just have a free day to listen to music or whatever when subs are around? It wouldn't kill us to miss one day of learning.

"Bite me!" Jarod says. We all fall silent.

"Now, Saban, don't use that kind of language here!" Saban says in a mocking voice.

"I'll say whatever I fucking want!" Jarod says.

"Do you want to be sent to the principal's office?" the sub says.

"He knows I'm gonna come there eventually," Jarod said.

"I'll just write you up instead," the sub said. Saban looks at Jarod.

"Dude, I'll be so dead if I get in trouble again!" Saban whispered.

"I'll stop, I promise," Jarod says immediately.

"I'll give you one more chance then and that's it," the sub says. Everyone knew that Jarod was only doing that so Saban could still stay in the band. It would suck if they lost their guitarist.

After science, I'm stuck with Jarod for Spanish.

"Maya Blackheart?" Señora Hernandez calls for attendance.

"Here," I say. Later in the roll call, she asks for Jarod.

"Jarod Sakowski?"

"He's throwing paper airplanes during that boring-ass science film," Jarod answers.

"Jarod, language." Señora said. Jarod says that he swears in front of teachers to prove a point that you can't get in trouble for it. I think he just likes to piss people off.

**Pony's POV**

I started collecting the homework from my third period class. When I get to Jed, I see that he still has a bruise from his fight last Thursday. As he hands in his homework, I still wonder how a hard-working boy like Jed could get himself into a fight with a boy like Cameron. Somehow, I still don't believe that Jed would be out looking for a fight. Then again, Kendi seems to trust Cameron so maybe Cameron really is telling the truth. But I couldn't think of him as Dallas Winston as Kendi had indicated. He reminded me of someone else.

Jed came up to me asking about one of the questions on the class work.

"I don't understand how to answer this," he said. As I try to explain the question to him, I catch him eying the picture on my desk of Kendi. It was her school photo from last year. Kendi had a small smile showing no teeth and her bangs covered her eyes so much that I almost couldn't see how dark blue they were. I could never get her to give a big smile. It's always that same sad look I had a feeling that Jed didn't come up here to find out how to do the work.

**Maya's POV**

Lunchtime at Kesata High School means extra long lines, some shoving, some crappy food, and always the preps being first in line. It's way annoying. For some reason they are always at the front getting the food first while the rest of us are left to wait and starve. Not that the food is worth drooling over but hey, at least the school allowed us to have something to eat.

I was behind Cam's brother, Rodney, in the lunch line. Good looks must run in the family because both Cam and his brother are gorgeous. I've never met Cam's oldest brother but Kendi told me that he's kind of a football player sort of cute.

"Hi," Rodney said. I wonder if he was talking to me.

"Hi," I say.

When I get to the table, Kendi's already there. She had her hair over her face. Never a good sign.

"Something wrong Kendi?" I ask. She shakes her head but I know she's not telling the truth.

"You can tell me," I say reassuringly. Kendi still won't talk.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Roxie says as she sets her tray down.

"I don't know," I say.

"Tell us," Roxie demands.

"I'm okay, you guys," Kendi said.

"That's what Cam said yesterday and we all know he was lying," Roxie said.

"Did your parents say no to the rehearsal?" I ask.

"No. My mom got Dad to say yes."

"So what is it?" Roxie said. She can be very persistent when she wants to be.

"Hey, why the long face?" Saban said as he took a seat across from me.

"Yeah, you look like you've inhaled a bunch of smoke fumes or something like that," Jarod said. He took a seat right next to me. Kendi slouched even more. I figured out what must've been going on.

"Your dad's not smoking again, is he?" Kendi nodded.

"Oh, is that it?" Jarod said. We heard a thump from under the table. Jarod groaned in pain.

"Geez, Roxie! Why the hell did you kick me?" he said.

"Ah, suck it up. You deserved it," I said. Jarod shot me a dirty look. I shot one right back at him.

"I feel some negative energy here," Zonks said as he pulled up a seat.

"Yeah. Mostly from Iron Foot over there!" Jarod said. Another thump. When will Jarod learn to shut his mouth?

"Uh? I don't think I want to know," Zonks said.

"So, Kendi, about your dad…" I started.

"It's fine," she said.

"Are you sure?" Roxie said.

"Yeah, I only caught him smoking on the porch last night but he said he'll stop." Her words almost seem to say, _Again._

"That's what he said last time," Roxie said wearily. I shoot Roxie a warning look. Kendi didn't need that right now.

"Um, am I missing something here?" Rawley said as he pulled up a chair. Cameron quietly takes his seat. He didn't seem to want to talk either.

"Nothing, Kendi's just being emotional, that's all," Jarod says like it doesn't matter. Another thump. This time, it's from me.

"Ow! Shit, why the hell do you guys have to kick me so much?" Jarod yells.

"Jarod, knowing you, you probably deserved it," Cameron said in a knowing voice.

"Oh, yeah. Take their side why don't ya?" Jarod said.

"Something wrong, Cam?" Kendi said. Jarod answered though.

"Yeah, everything. He's not as messed up as the rest of us so he pretends to be," Jarod said jokingly. Another thump.

"Ow! Okay which one of you did it this time?" Jarod said looking at Roxie and me. We shrug. It wasn't us. Kendi lifts her head.

"Come on. Who did it?" Jarod said still looking at only Roxie and me.

"You ever thought there were other possible suspects Jarod?" Kendi said with a mischievous grin. Looks like she's okay now. Good.

"Are you guys planning on kicking everyone in the table, or just Jarod?" Cam asks, also out of his glum state.

"I just kick who I wanna kick," I say. There's another thump. This time, Rawley's in pain.

"Geez, Roxie, what was that for?"

"Just because," Roxie said with a smile.

"Oh no, couple stuff. Look away before they start making out!" Zonks said covering his eyes with his arm. We all start laughing.

"Hey, did you guys do that homework for Pre-Algebra?" Saban asks randomly.

"No one here is in Pre-Algebra except for you, doofus!" Jarod said.

"You wanna trade homework? I have some Geometry if you're interested," Cam said.

"No thanks," Saban answered.

"Maybe if you actually did your work, you wouldn't have to ask for other people's homework," Cam said.

I wonder how all of us manage to get along. Zonks is a jokester, Jarod's got some kind of attitude toward everyone, Saban's a lazy ass, Rawley barely speaks if not to Roxie and Cameron, and Cam's the one guy who actually makes the group care about something going on. He keeps everyone together. Then there's Roxie who could most likely have ADD and me who's half an angel (the half all teachers see) and half devil (the real me with my friends). Then Kendi, who keeps so much to herself that no one knows much about her. What keeps us together?

"Look, I'm a walrus!" Zonks said with a pair of straws up his nose. We all laugh even if it is a little immature. Hey, it's Zonks. What'd you expect?

I think I know what's keeping us together. It's this thing that none of us have. It's this little unimportant aspect of everyday life, better known as sanity. I lost what little of it I had left when I entered eighth grade. Roxie was probably never born with it in the first place. Kendi pretty much never had it at least as far as I know and the guys, well, yeah. I think Cam and Rawley are the only ones who show signs of having even a trace of sanity in them.

"Oh yeah, happy b-day Saban," Cam said.

"It's your birthday?" Kendi said.

"Yeah," said Saban.

"Happy Birthday! Now time for your birthday punches!" Roxie said as she balled up her fist.

"Uh, no thanks. I already got some from Cam and Jarod."

"It's my turn now," Zonks said as he whacked his friend fourteen times in the arm.

"And one for good luck!" Zonks said as he gave the final blow.

"OW! Do you guys ever quit it?" Saban said.

"Ah, you'll live!" Rawley said.

"Is it my turn now?" Roxie asked.

"NO! My arm is now off-limits too any more birthday punches!" Saban yelled. I kick Saban fourteen times in the shin.

"That includes birthday kicks too, Maya!" he yelled at me. Too late. I already got in my one for good luck.

See what I mean by us lacking sanity?

* * *

**A/N: I won't be writing what happens in the rehearsal but if you're interested, they played "Ocean Avenue," The Truth About Heaven," and possibly "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" But I could most likely have them perform those songs in another rehearsal on another chapter. It's pretty much the same as the other rehearsals. I'll try to write in another original song if I can find a place where it'll fit. Oh, and Saban's birthday was supposed to be around the end of September and he did turn fourteen which would make him the youngest of the RMC gang. Weird but true.**

**Jarod: Ha ha! You're still a baby!  
Saban: Shut up!  
Roxie: You're even younger than me!  
Cameron: Ah, leave him alone already.  
Zonks: I'm a walrus!  
(The rest of the characters and RockerLane1110 stare at Zonks in disbelief.)  
Zonks: What? Maya said it herself that we all lack sanity.**


	23. Back in Black

**Chapter Twenty Three- Back In Black**

**A/N: Dum dum duuuuuum! Something dramatic happens in this chapter. No, nobody dies (I could never kill off any of these characters unless I absolutely had to.) but something drastic does happen. And it's not a bad thing so everyone, breathe. Okay. I'm trying to make this story go faster so this takes place a couple of weeks after the last chapter.**

**Kendi: Over the writer's block?  
RL1110: Think so.  
Kendi: Good, because we were all getting worried here.  
RL1110: I could tell when Roxie gave me a gift certificate for one free session at the shrink.  
Kendi: Only one? It was supposed to be ten!**

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Outsiders" or any related trademarks, logos, blah, blah, blah. Oh, and I didn't mean for the chapter title to refer to AC/DC 'cause I don't own that album title or the band either. Just keep in mind that I do own Residents of Mangled City and all their friends.

* * *

**Cameron's POV**

It's the middle of October and the weather is nice and cool. I have my beanie on my head again and this time, I plan to take it off if a teacher asks me. No, I'm not going crazy. I just feel like doing something a teacher tells me to do for once.

Rod and I say good-bye to Dan as we leave the house. It's breezy outside and neither of us mind walking to school.

"You know you have to take that hat off when we get to school," Rod said.

"I know."

"You want to surprise everyone?"

"Something like that."

"What do you think Kendi's going to say?" Rod asked.

"I don't know." As we're walking Mrs. Bailey, our neighbor, calls my name.

"Cameron! Hi!" she said.

"Hi, Mrs. Bailey," I said.

"Do you have a minute?" she asked me.

"Go ahead without me, Rod. I'll see you later."

"Okay, Cam." I already knew what Mrs. Bailey wanted to talk to me about. It was almost Halloween and Mrs. Bailey had three kids. Mrs. Bailey and her husband haven't been able to make time to bring them around the neighborhood. So when I was at seventh grade, Rawley, Rodney, and I offered to take them along for trick or treating. Nowadays, it's just me.

"Can you take the kids again for Halloween?" she asked me.

"Sure, I'd be happy to." Seriously, I would. Any excuse to be away from Dad is awesome. Mrs. Bailey's kids are okay though. There's Laser (his real name's Leonard but he told me to call him Laser) who's about eleven now. There's also Marcy, and she's nine. Then there's Carrie, the youngest one of about six years now. She went through her first Halloween last year.

"Thank you Cameron. Have fun at school now," Mrs. Bailey said with a smile. She might be the only adult I am ever able to please.

When I walk down the halls of Kesata High, and I got to my locker, I see Kendi.

"Hey," I say to her. She looks at me.

"Hey. What's with the beanie? Are you trying to get detention from Danza?" she said.

"No."

"So, why?"

"It's a surprise."

"You shaved your head."

"Are you nuts?"

"Most likely." Didn't expect that answer from her, but I should've.

"You really want to know?" I say.

"Sure." I lift my beanie a little bit. Kendi's face turns to surprise.

"Did you seriously…?"

"Yeah."

"Whole head?"

"Yep."

"Cool. It looks good on you." Well, that's my first reaction of the day. And she said that it looks good on me. Maybe I should've used permanent.

Ms. Lisuke says nothing during first period. She doesn't really care as long as I do my work. I got a lot of stares from people. What? They've never seen a guy in a hat before?

For once, I am looking forward to Mr. Danza's Geometry class. So I might've been a little brain damaged but I didn't care.

As Mr. Danza takes attendance, he gets to my name.

"Cameron Talon?" he said. I raised my hand and he looked at me with a frown. He noticed I've broken the no hats rule.

"Mr. Talon, I believe that we have rules against wearing hats in the building. Please remove it this instance." Everyone expects me to refuse and to keep it on, even Mr. Danza. Kendi doesn't expect me to though. In fact, she was egging me on to show everyone what I'd done. So instead of being insubordinate, I willingly take my hat off.

The whole class gasps.

**Emmet's POV**

Cameron. He thinks he's so cool. He thinks that because he beat up Jed last year, it automatically makes him the king. Him and his head banging, pot-smoking (I don't know for sure but most likely they are) wannabe rock star friends of his. He thinks he can get any girl he wants. Every girl thinks he's so cute. Even Kendi. She looks like she already knew about this. Cam Talon. Blond haired buffoon of the ninth grade.

Well, not anymore apparently.

When he took off his hat (an action I didn't even think he would do), everyone saw his hair. It was still longish, like a rock star wannabe, but it wasn't the blond we were used to seeing him in. No. It was black. His hair was dyed midnight black.

Many people were wide-eyed, and some of the girls looked like they were about to faint. If this was Cam's strategy to get more girls to like him, it was failing. Kendi was the only one who showed any sign of a positive reaction.

"Thought you'd disguise yourself today, Cam?" Mr. Danza said. He didn't seem too happy with Cam's new look.

"It's freedom of speech, man," Cam said. He didn't even care about the twenty-four pairs of eyes that were fixated on that dyed-black skull of his.

"Well, anyways, we need to get on with our lesson and I'd rather you not be a distraction to the class, Cam," Mr. Danza said.

"Does that mean I have to put my hat back on?" Cam said. Mr. Danza looked agitated. He knew that if he made Cam keep his hat off, no one would be paying attention. The whole class would be too busy looking at Cam's head. The guy is starved for attention.

"Okay, you can keep it on only for today. But tomorrow, I expect to see you with no head gear on." Cam happily puts the hat back on. No matter what color his hair is, Cam still looks like a jackass.

**Roxie's POV**

I saw Cam walking down the halls after second period. He had black hair!

"I love the hair, Camel!" I yelled to him. He smiled at me.

"Mr. Danza almost exploded when he saw it," he said.

"Fuck him!" I said, a little to loudly. I caught the attention of Emmet, teacher's pet. Ha ha! That rhymed!

"Watch that mouth, Stoaner," he said referring to me by my last name. I walked up to him.

"I'll say what I want," I said to Emmet.

"So will I. I think that Cam's hair looks stupid no matter what!"

"Ow, that hurts," Cam said sarcastically from behind me. That rhymed too! "Especially since the guy talking is the one I sent to the garbage disposal before. How did you get out anyways?"

"Don't ask," Emmet said looking embarrassed.

"Emmet's in the shitheap!" I said excitedly.

"Shut up!" Emmet said.

"Make me!" I said.

"You're a bitch, you know that?" he said. I raised my eyebrow at him.

"What'd you say?"

"Oh, you're hard of hearing. Let me say it slower this time. You. Are. A. Bitch."

"That's what I thought you said," I said. Then I gave him a good hard kick in the shin and slammed him against the locker. Then he ran off before I could do anything else. Coward. Cam shook his head at me.

"Roxie, if you're going to beat on Emmet, you might want to do it properly. The janitor's closet was right there!" I looked to where he was pointing and I saw the janitor's closet unlocked. From the outside anyway. If you were in there, you'd be stuck until someone came along.

"Oh, I'll try to remember that next time," I said teasingly.

"I'll get front row seats when you do," Cam said with a laugh.

**Maya's POV**

How do I always end up in the back of the line? Seriously, it's becoming an ongoing pattern. The preps are at the front and I'm stuck in the back. Then I am forced to eat the moldiest and grossest food left on the counter for lunch. They constantly tell us to eat right and stay healthy and then they serve us this, which sends you to the nurse's office. I still remember when Kendi puked after eating the French toast sticks. God, it was horrible.

This time, I got to stand behind Cam. Except I didn't know it was Cam until he looked toward me and said, "Hi, Maya." That's when I realized that Cam had dyed his hair. It left me a little shocked.

"So what do you think?" he said pointing to his new black hair.

"It's… interesting. Got tired of being blond?" Cam laughed at this.

"No, I just wanted a change, that's all." A scent, more like an odor, came from the front of the line. It was something that could make anyone lose their appetite and maybe even their breakfast.

"Uh… you know, you can go in front of me 'cause I'm not really that hungry," Cam said.

"You do know that you're going to have to eat the stuff anyways," I said.

"I'll just get a sandwich," he said.

"And risk eating the mold that grows on the cheese?" I said.

"I can risk that. You can go in front of me anyways." I decide not to argue with him. It would be a little stupid to. Just imagine Cam and me fighting over if I should accept his offer. That would be weird.

I decided to just go in front of him like he offered. It wasn't until I did that I noticed that Kendi had been behind me the whole time. Man, she is quiet!

**Kendi's POV**

"I still can't believe you dyed your hair!" I said to Cam as we took our seats at the table. Everyone else was already there.

"Well, I did. Do I need to show you the box to prove it to you?" Cam said.

"Maybe." I kind of liked Cam's hair being black. It brought out how gray his eyes are. Dammit, I'm drifting again.

"So, Cam has finally crossed over to the dark side," Zonks said jokingly, interrupting our conversation.

"Yeah, I guess so," Cam said.

"Just as long as you don't start wearing a space helmet and begin hyperventilating, then you'll still be allowed at the table," Rawley said.

And with that, any conversation between Cam and me was lost. Dammit.

"Cami, what did you do to your hair?" someone shrieked. Kapri and Valencia have arrived. Have I mentioned how much I can't stand them?

**Kapri's POV**

I couldn't believe my eyes. Cami was turning into one of _them. _He was turning into a Goth. It's all that little Goth girl's fault. Her and her crazy friends. How dare she turn Cam into one of her Satan-worshipping psychos? **(A/N: Not all Goths worship Satan. Not the ones I know anyways.) **

"I dyed it. Why?" Cam said.

"You look like a head banging punk. What's wrong with you?" I said. Cam looked at me strangely the way he did when someone said something unbelievable or stupid.

"Uh… Kapri, _how _long have you known me?" he said. This got a laugh out of all his friends and even those Goth girls snickered.

"What do you mean, Cami?" I said.

"I mean that between the ear-splitting rock music, being a member of a rock band, and knowing that I constantly head bang when Avenged Sevenfold comes on the radio, I have to dye my hair for you to figure out that I'm punk?" Cam said. "And don't call me Cami."

"But Cami's such a good nickname for you!" Valencia said. I always thought that too. Why can't Cam just like it? It's so cute.

Cam put his head in his hand and said, "Don't start that again."

"Why are you being so mean, Cam?" I whined.

"Why do you have to be such an airhead?" One of the Goths said. It was that dark blond one. I forgot what Valencia said her name was. She was trying to mock me by imitating my voice.

"Ha ha," I said sarcastically. "Why do you have to be such a weirdo, Goth?"

"I do have a name, you know. It's Kendi, not Goth."

"Whatever. You're still a loser."

"I would be careful on who you call loser. Especially since you're decked out in Abercrombie and Bitch," the Japanese Goth said.

"It's Fitch, you bitch," Valencia said.

"It doesn't matter. You're still snobs," the brown-haired girl said.

"You wanna say that again, Maya?" Valencia said.

"Certainly. You guys are bitches and deserve to go to hell and Cam's hair looks awesome so I have no idea what your problem is."

"I still don't think it suits him. Black is not his color," I said.

"It's totally his color! You guys have to be blind not to see it!" Kendi said. She was trying hard to get Cam's attention. I just know it.

"Wait, are you guys saying you don't like it?" Cam said, sounding a little saddened. I decided to give it to him gently. Cam is such a sensitive soul.

"Yes, I'm sorry Cami but I really don't think it makes you look good." His eyes went sad.

"Give me a minute here," he said. He looked like he would cry. He turned to the side and I thought I heard him triumphantly say, "YES!" like he didn't really want us to like his hair.

"What was that, Cam?" Valencia asked.

"Uh… boo hoo?" The whole table cracks up and Valencia and I have been to be left out of the joke. I figured that they were just being obnoxious and Valencia and I left them. God, how rude of them!

**Maya's POV**

We laughed so hard. Valencia and Kapri left but we were still shitting our pants over what just happened. Cam was pretending to be sad about Kapri saying that she doesn't like his hair. Then he pretended that he was going to cry but instead he celebrates getting Kapri and Valencia to dislike him for some shallow reason. It was hilarious!

"Dude, boo hoo? Was that the best you could come up with?" Jarod said between chuckles.

"It was on the spot. What'd you expect?" Cam said while trying to breathe. I was also trying to get air into my lungs. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, whoa I'm dizzy.

"So, Cam, are you going as a clown for Halloween? You seem to be preparing for it," Saban said.

"No, I've already got a costume in mind," Cam said.

"You still go out trick or treating, Cam?" I said. I didn't mean it as a bad thing. Hell, I 'd go trick or treating if my parents weren't making me stay home to give out candy since they were out that night.

"Yeah. I take my neighbor's kids out around the neighborhood 'cause their parents don't have time to," Cam said.

"That's cool," Kendi said.

"Yeah, it is," Cam said.

"Well, I'm stuck at home giving out candy," Saban said.

"Same here," I said.

"I'm grounded, again. So I'll just be on the internet," Jarod said.

"Roxie, you're still coming over, right?" Rawley said.

"Yeah," Roxie said.

"What?" Zonks exclaimed. Rawley figured out what the rest of us were thinking.

"No! We're just meeting at my place and then my Aunt CeeCee's going to drive us to the movies," Rawley said.

"Oh," Zonks said, a little relieved.

"What are you doing, Kendi?" Cam said.

"Uh, I don't know yet," Kendi said.

"Why don't you come with me to take my neighbor's kids trick or treating?"

"I'd love to!" Kendi said. Oh yeah, just leave me out of all the fun. I'll be fine. I mean what does it matter when I get silly stringed by a bunch of eight-year-olds? Note to self: Go to store.

"Cool, I'll see you there, then?" Cam said.

"Okay," Kendi said. Would her parents really let her go trick or treating with Cam? Well, Kendi's mom is kind of a nice person.

Lunch ended and we were forced to go back to class. I went to my locker to get stuff for my drawing class. It was one of the few classes that Roxie, Kendi, and I have together. On the way, I saw Emmet. Oh lucky me.

"What you doin', Blackheart?" Emmet said. Where does he get the idea that calling someone by his or her last name is cool? Seriously, he sounds like a total moron when he calls me Blackheart.

"My name's Maya," I said.

"So?"

"So call me by the right name idiot," I said.

"Who you calling idiot?"

"You, dumbass," I said.

"Well, that's not very nice," Emmet said.

"It wasn't supposed to be."

"You need to stop hanging out with those Gothic friends of your," Emmet said.

"What?" Hey, Roxie, Kendi, and I aren't really Goths. We just like to wear black but that doesn't mean our style is Goth. We're just… ourselves. Yeah, that's it. We're not really in any group except for being friends. Emmet needs to shut up.

"They're being a bad influence on you." I saw the janitor's closet. An idea popped in my head.

"You're right," I faked, "They are bad influences."

"I know. Good thing you had me to tell you," Emmet said.

"Yeah, so do you want a kiss for saving me?" I said. This was gonna be fun.

"Uh… sure," Emmet said. He looked flustered. I can't believe he was buying this!

"Well, we need to find someplace private. How about that closet," I said trying to sound passionate. Emmet is so gullible. He went right into the closet and awaited me to peck him on the lips. Fat chance.

_SLAM!_ I locked Emmet inside the janitor's closet.

"Hey, get me out of here!" he said.

Let me think about that," I said. I took a moment to "think." "Uh, how about no?" I said before walking off to Drawing.

"Hey, you can't leave me here!" I heard him say. I called back to him.

"I just did!"

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. I kept getting stuck in the middle of my writing. Oh, and speaking of hair-dyeing my friend Jay also dyes her hair. I think it's black now. Yeah, it is. Carly and I joke about how we need to start a hair fundraiser since Jay's hair may fall off because she dyes it so much (How many times have you dyed it?). If any of you want to contribute, let us know. Just kidding.**

**Emmet: (from the janitor's closet) How long are you gonna keep me here this time?  
RockerLane1110: As long as I want. (laughs maniacally)**


	24. Silly String, Straitjackets, and Rockers

**Chapter Twenty Four- Silly String, Straitjackets, and Rockers**

**A/N: Parents spend a lot of time telling their children never to talk to strangers or to accept candy from them. Then come Halloween, it's all, "Take all the candy you can get!" Interesting. Well, I know it's not Halloween at the moment, far from it actually, but bear with me. This supposed to happen in Halloween this year (the one that hasn't happened yet) so some of these things may seem weird but this is fiction so don't get on me too much.**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you may recognize. Unless it's Residents of Mangled City and their friends. Them, I own.

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**Maya's POV**

Of course, out of all my friends, I'm the one who gets stuck at home distributing candy. Joy. I have to wait for the doorbell to ring and give out candy to greedy little kids. What else could be so much more fun? Oh, I know. Everything else

Even though I am homebound for the night, I still felt it appropriate to dress up in a costume. Unfortunately, all I had were costumes from previous years so I made up my own creature.

I had the wings of an angel, the horns of a devil, the tail of a cat, bellbottom pants, and some random tuxedo shirt. I am Freak. What? I didn't have enough money for a new costume so I used all my old ones. I did have enough money for a couple of cans of silly string though. Those kids better watch out.

The phone rings. For a moment, I almost thought it was the doorbell but I got to my senses.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hey, it's Saban. Is Maya there?"

"I'm here, Saban," I said.

"Oh, hey. Just thought I'd call since we're both homebound anyways," he said.

"Why don't you just call your other friends?" I said, not trying to sound mean or anything.

"Cam's out taking those kids trick or treating, or at least getting ready for it, Jarod's grounded from the phone, and Zonks is probably playing the drums."

"Probably?"

"If you've known Zonks as long as us, you could estimate when he'd be on the drums."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

_DING-DONG!_ The first trick or treaters were here and it was only 6:00. I think I heard a doorbell in Saban's end too.

"You got some little devils, too?"

"Yep. Looks like they came in early," I said. I got the candy bowl ready and headed for the door.

"Got the silly string ready?" Saban asked. I picked my can of purple silly string. I had another can on the dining table. They were really cheap at the store.

"Yep. I'm off to face the demons," I said.

"So am I," Saban said. I set the phone on the counter.

I opened the door to see who would be the first to get their greedy hands on the Kit Kat bars in the bowl. There was some kind of wannabe cheerleader, Godzilla, and Spiderman.

"Trick or treat!" they chanted in unison.

"Oh, you're costumes are so scary," I say. Sarcastically, of course, but those kids don't know. They each take a Kit Kat bar but I swear I saw Spiderman nab two. After they get their candy, I brace myself for silly string. Sure enough all three of them whipped out their cans and started shooting at me.

I was prepared. I grabbed my can and started spraying them. The eight year olds left screaming and laughing and I was covered in green, blue, and orange silly string.

I picked up the phone.

"Hey, Saban. You there?"

"Yeah. I was attacked with pink string."

"Ah, the color of disgrace."

"You got that right." We ended up spending Halloween talking on the phone while getting silly stringed at the same time.

**Roxie's POV**

Dad drove me to Rawley's apartment.

"Do you need help getting up there?" Dad asked.

"No, I'll be fine," I said.

I got up to the second floor on the stairs and then did my best to ring Rawley's doorbell. When I did, Rawley answered the door. He looked at me strangely.

"Uhhhhhh…" he said.

"What?"

"Well…" He still looked confused.

"What is it, Rawley?" I said even though I knew what he was so shocked about.

"Are you seriously going to the movie dressed like that?" Rawley asked.

"It's Halloween! I need to wear some kind of costume!"

"Roxie, you're in a straitjacket," Rawley said.

"I know that."

"Why?"

"Let me say this again. It's Halloween. Where's your costume?" Rawley was only dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, and a hoodie.

"Didn't want to wear one," he said.

"Well, wear one anyways!" I said.

Rawley gave in. "Alright," he said reluctantly.

I took a seat on the couch while he got dressed. Rawley's Aunt CeeCee saw me.

"Dear, why do you have that on?" she said.

"It's supposed to be my Halloween costume," I said.

"Well, okay then. Just don't hurt yourself when you're going down the stairs. Are you okay in that?"

"Yes."

Rawley came back with a black grim reaper cape over his clothes.

"Is that it?" I said.

"It's a costume, isn't it?" Rawley had his hood on his head covering his sexy Emo haircut **(lol)**. Hmm… the grim reaper and the crazy lady from the loony bin at the movies. Which one of us will people be scared of most?

Aunt CeeCee drove us to the movies.

Rawley paid for our tickets to go see "Scary Movie 4." **(A/N: I know this movie comes out this week, but just go along with it.) **I offered to pay for mine, but he insisted on paying. Fine by me. Rawley went to go buy us some popcorn before we went to the theater. I told him to also get me some Skittles.

"You like Skittles, too?" he said.

"Skittles are awesome!"

"Original or berry?"

"Original."

I headed for the bathroom. Don't ask me how you do that in a straitjacket. Down the hall I saw Emmet. Damn, I thought I'd be rid of him.

"Hey, Stoaner. What's with the straitjacket?" he said. I decide to ignore him.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" he said.

"Don't care," I said.

"You are such a freak," he said.

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"So?"

"Freakin' Satan worshipper," I heard him say under his breath.

"Oh you didn't just say that," I said. Hey, I may not be the religious type, but that doesn't mean I'm a worshipper of the devil.

Before Emmet could say another word, I threw him into the girls' bathroom. Now since I'm in a straitjacket, this is a little hard to explain so use your imagination!

**Kendi's POV**

"Kendi, are you sure you're okay with this?" Dad asked for the hundredth time. How many times will he ask?

"Yes, Dad," I say in a bored voice. We were almost at Cam's house and Dad was getting more nervous by the minute.

When we finally got there, Dad said, "Remember to call me when you need to be picked up."

"I will, Dad." Then I went up to Cam's front door. I hope my costume is okay. I don't mean that I want Cam to like it or anything, but I just hope it's appropriate since we're taking some little kids around the neighborhood. It's not like I'm wearing a stripper outfit or anything.

Cameron opened the door.

"Hey! It's Kendi Joe Armstrong!" he said laughing. Yeah, I was dressed as the lead singer of Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong. I had on a black shaggy wig, a green tie, a black Green Day shirt, and even an inflatable guitar around my neck. Mom even let me use some black eyeliner. I had wristbands on to cover my scars. It'd be too dark to see them, but still. Both the wristbands had Green Day on them.

"Yeah, and who are you supposed to be? Gerard Talon?" Cam's costume was like that school uniform from My Chemical Romance's "I'm Not Okay (I Promise) video." The one where they go to a private school and are treated like social outcasts. He parted his dyed-black hair to look like the lead singer, Gerard Way. He didn't put on any make up though. Cameron pinned on a My Chemical Romance patch on his jacket. It had a picture of the album cover of _Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge_.

"Yeah," he said. Then he looked at the time. "Well, we better get over to Mrs. Bailey."

When we headed over to his neighbor, Mrs. Bailey, I got to meet her and the kids.

"Hi, Mrs. Bailey," Cameron said. "This my friend, Kendi. She's gonna help too."

Mr. Bailey looked at me and smiled. "How nice to meet you Kendi. So are you two going as rockers for Halloween?"

"Something like that," Cam said.

Cam introduced me to the kids. Actually, the kids introduced themselves.

"My name's Carrie and I'm six," the little one said. She had light blue eyes and curly light brown hair. She was dressed as a fairy with a wand, a crown, and a pink dress.

"I'm Marcy," the middle girl said. She said she was nine. She went as a cat with the ears and whiskers.

"I'm Leonard, but you can call me Laser," the oldest boy said. He had brown hair, freckles, and yellowish-brown eyes. He dressed as one of the Incredibles. I think he was trying to look like Dash. He even had a black mask on.

We took Carrie, Marcy, and Laser around the neighborhood, and Cam and I even got some candy too. Laser kept trying to run off on his own but Cam always caught him.

"Laser, stay with us unless you want someone to jump you!" Cam said. His voice sounded like he just wanted Laser to stay with us but it also sounded a little warning. Has anyone ever been jumped here before?

"Are you Cam's girlfriend?" Marcy asked me.

"No, he's just my friend," I said.

"I think Cam once said he had a girlfriend," Marcy said. I knew she was talking about Kapri.

"Was she nice to you guys?" I asked.

"Cameron never asked her to come along. He said she wasn't very nice. I saw her once though when she came for our Christmas party last year with Cam." Marcy paused. "I think you're nicer than her."

"Thanks," I said.

After a couple of hours walking around from house to house we finally came back to the Baileys house. Mr. Bailey was just coming up the driveway and Mrs. Bailey was inside doing paperwork. She looked stressed out. It looked like she had a lot of bills surrounding her. She saw us by the door. Laser impulsively rang the doorbell.

"Trick or treat!" we all said. A smile came over Mrs. Bailey's tired face. She thanked us for taking Laser, Marcy, and Carrie, and then we all said our good byes.

When we got back to Cam's house, it was about 8:15. Cam's brothers, Dan and Rodney, were there. Rodney was in the basement playing on his guitar and Dan was at the dining room reading the newspaper.

"Hey, you guys," Dan said, "Had fun trick or treating with Mrs. Bailey's kids?"

"Yeah," Cam said. He sounded a little scornful of his brother.

Cam and I went on the couch to watch some TV. I figured I could call Dad a little later. The wig was itching me so I took it off and let my hair fall down. It was a mess and it probably looked awful. I didn't mind though. It wasn't like Cam would care or anything.

We ended up watching some old CSI episode on Spike TV on the couch. Unlike some girls (i.e. Valencia Marx), I can take some of the graphic images like all the blood and the innards being shot to pieces. It doesn't get to me too much unless it's really gross. I never end up puking my own guts out though.

I put the inflatable guitar and the wig one the floor. I started getting a little tired and I laid my head on Cam's shoulder. When I realized I was on his shoulder, I immediately pulled away. Yeah, I'm such a romantic. I decided to call my dad before I fell asleep.

"Uh, can I use your phone?" I asked.

"Go ahead," Cam said. I called my dad to let him know he can pick me up whenever he can. Dad said he had a lot of stuff to do and that he'd come and get me in about half an hour to forty-five minutes. Dad's really devoted to teaching. I didn't mind having to wait.

I sat back on the couch with Cam. He had changed the channel. _Drake and Josh_ was on in Nickelodeon. I remembered what happened last time we watched this together.

"Uh…" I said.

"What's wrong? You want to watch CSI?" Cam said.

"No, I've already seen that episode anyways. It's just that… you do remember what happened when we saw this last?" I said. He looked at me confused.

"What are you talking about? We never… oh." He forgot about last time and I had to jog his memory. He remembered now. Cam looked away from me shyly.

I guess I should be mad about him forgetting. Hell, I should be at least a little offended. But I guess what happened after the _Drake and Josh_ incident was something he wanted to put in the back of his mind. I really couldn't blame him.

Now I could tell you all the cheesy lines we said while we were recalling that incident. How I wanted to see if I could remind him of what happened and whatnot. I could tell you all of what we said in those few minutes. But to spare you from gagging, I'll give it to you straight.

Cameron kissed me again. We kept it for a few seconds, then I broke away and said, "What about your dad?" I still remember that blow I took to the face.

"He probably drank himself to sleep. Don't worry," Cam said.

Now I could tell you all the details of the kiss. How it felt sweet, how it was nice, and all that fluff. But to spare you from gagging even more than you already are, I'll skip to what happened next.

_DING-DONG! _Dan answered the door and Cam and I broke away again.

"Kendi, your dad's here!" Dan said. Dad was about fifteen minutes early. I picked my inflatable guitar and the wig.

"See you at school Cameron," I said.

"See ya," Cam said as he walked me to the door. That's where he saw Dad again and tried stay as well-mannered as he could. Dad said good-bye to Cam and we left.

I think I could still feel Cam's kiss on my lips.

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**A/N: Yeah the last line was pretty gag-worthy but I didn't know how else to end it. I really don't like cheesy romantic movie lines so that's why I skipped it on this chapter. No romantic movie line will ever not sound cheesy so I knew I would gag if I had to write one. Oh, and I'm leaving for Canada on Sunday so I won't be able to update for most of next week. Sorry, guys!**

**Saban: Wait, you're just going to leave us here while you go off on some Canada trip?  
RL1110: I can bring you guys in my thoughts.  
Roxie: Yay! We can go to Canada in RL1110's head!  
Kendi: Does that sound weird to anyone?  
Cameron: Fucking weird.  
Jarod: You got that from _Rent_, didn't you?  
Saban: You've actually seen _Rent_?  
Maya: What does it matter if he has?  
Zonks: (sings) Oh, Canada…  
Rawley: Maybe we should abandon him. Don't let him in your head!  
Emmet: What about me?  
Kapri and Valencia: And us?  
Kendi, Maya, and Roxie: Leave them out! PLEASE!  
RL1110: This is going to be a long trip.**

**I will be back for another update!**


	25. Maya and Roxie's Halloween

**Chapter Twenty Five- Maya and Roxie's Halloween**

**A/N: Hey, I'm back! Anyone miss me? (crickets chirp) Fine, be that way. I decided to add in a chapter on what happened during the rest of Maya and Roxie's Halloween night. And if any of you are interested in good news, during the long and boring car trip (Eight hours!), I thought up of an idea for how everything will work out and such. The bad news: I DON'T KNOW HOW THE HELL I'M GONNA END THIS THING! How, you ask, is everything gonna work out? Well, you'll just have to find out. (Mob attacks RockerLane1110) Well, on with the story now! AAAHHH!**

Disclaimer: Don't you know me by now? I'm not S.E. Hinton so I do NOT own "The Outsiders."

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**Maya's POV**

8:30. There shouldn't be any more trick or treaters by now. I start putting away the extra candy in a safe place (i.e. my stomach). Saban and I are still on the phone. This is gonna be one large phone bill.

"Finally, no more little monsters," I said.

"Or comic book heroes or princesses or ninjas," Saban added.

"Don't forget no more silly string," I said.

"Says you. I'm still trying to get the last of the string off of me. Are you still multicolored?"

"Not really. I got most of it off." I start wondering what Kendi and Roxie are doing.

"You think everyone else is having more fun than us?" I said.

"Let's see, Roxie and Rawley are out watching a movie, Cam and Kendi are taking little kids trick or treating or are already done and are watching TV or something, Zonks is still on his drums, and Jarod is probably punching the wall. Nah, I think we got the better end of the deal." Saban was being sarcastic, but there was some truth in his voice. I probably wouldn't have gone to the movies 'cause I'd be going alone, and I don't know if I'd be able to take a bunch of kids around in the dark.

"Yeah," I said.

"Well…" Saban was unsure of what to say now. "See you tomorrow, I guess."

"Yeah, see ya." Then I hung up the phone. I knew Mom and Dad wouldn't be home for another hour or so. So I took another Kit Kat bar and turned on the TV. Around 9:50, almost 10:00, the phone rang.

"Who could be calling at this hour?" I said. Then I remembered that my little brother was staying over at his friend's house. He probably forgot his toothbrush or something.

"Hello?" I said as I picked up the phone. I was expecting my little brother's voice to come through the receiver, but instead…

"Hey, Maya. It's Kendi. I need to talk to you about something."

**Roxie's POV**

Going to the movies can be a lot of fun, especially when you're with your boyfriend. But some factors can ruin the movie going experience. For example, the couple making out in front of us has no regard as to the fact that I am eating Skittles here and I would like it if they stayed in my stomach.

"Rawley, give me another Skittle," I said. I'd hate to waste one of my favorite candies on these bozos, but I'd hate to miss the movie because of them.

"Incoming. Strawberry flavored," Rawley said as he popped the red candy in my mouth. I'm still in the straitjacket if you were wondering.

I concentrated on my target. I decided to go for the girl's shiny strawberry blond hair. Perfect. After a few minutes of "concentrating," I spit the Skittle at them. The couple immediately broke apart. The girl looked at me with a death glare.

"Freak," she said. I shrugged it off. I was a freak and if someone wants to call me one, then by all means let them. Rawley was trying to stifle a laugh. He didn't have to. The movie was pretty funny so no one would've thought any different if he started snickering in the middle of the movie.

I heard a bunch of boys laughing annoyingly from behind us. I tried to ignore it. Then their laughter got louder and even more aggravating. I turned to them.

"Would you guys shut up?" I said. That was when I saw Emmet with two other guys. One was this black haired prep. I couldn't really see the other 'cause it was dark and he was too far away.

"Make me," the black haired one said. Emmet snickered. I raised an eyebrow at him like I did Emmet when he called me a bitch.

"Idiot," I said before going back to watch the movie.

I felt a popcorn kernel hit my head. I ignored it this time. Then I felt it again along with the sound of snickering from the boys behind me.

"Will you just leave us alone?" Rawley said to them. Then his expression changed as if he saw a ghost.

"Rawley. Didn't expect to see you here," the black haired guy said.

"Hey, Jed," Rawley said bitterly.

"Who's he?" I whispered to Rawley.

"Some guy who used to bully Cam in middle school," Rawley whispered back.

"Jerk," I said this time to Jed.

"Hey, Rawley, what's with your demented girlfriend? Doesn't she know how to show respect?" Jed said.

"The only demented one here is you," Rawley said coolly. I gave a slight smile at this.

"I'm not the one in the straitjacket," Jed remarked.

"If she wasn't in a straitjacket, she'd kick your sorry butt. Unfortunately, there's nothing holding me back," Rawley warned.

"Is that a threat?"

"Yeah, it is." Okay, it's great that Rawley is standing up for me and all, but I'm not that into having them fight in the middle of a movie theatre.

"Rawley, it's okay. Why don't we just move up a little?" I said.

"Yeah, Rawley. Just run away why don't ya?" This was only making Rawley even madder.

"Why don't you just shut it?" I said.

"Ah, it's not like I would've fought your boyfriend there," Jed said, "He ain't worth it. I'd rather fight Cam. Where is the little blondie anyways?"

"He's not blond anymore, Jed," Emmet said, "Dyed his hair black a couple weeks ago."

"Figures. He's always been a freak."

"Cam's not a freak," I said, "And he's out with another girl if you care."

"He got himself his own girl? Well, that's amazing. She must be a freak, too."

"Excuse me? That's my friend you're talking about, creep!" I said.

"Kendi's with him? Cam must've been desperate for a date," Emmet said.

"How did you get out of the girls' bathroom?" I asked. Emmet turned red in the face.

"Wait, Kendi Curtis?" Jed asked.

"Yeah," I said suspiciously, "How'd you know?"

"Her dad's my teacher," Jed said.

"You go to Guinesborro, huh?" I said. No wonder the guy looked like such a prep.

"Yeah. So you know her?" Jed seemed too curious about Kendi.

"Yeah, she's my friend, which means she can kick your ass, too," I said, hoping he gets the message.

"I knew her longer than you!" Emmet said.

"No you don't," I said. How could Emmet know Kendi longer?

"Yeah, I do. She and I were in the same fifth grade class. She was friends with this guy, Demitri."

"How come she went to our middle school then?" I said hoping I'd trapped him.

"She moved to another foster home after her sister committed suicide," Emmet said.

"What?" Kendi never told us anything about a sister. We knew she was adopted, but she never mentioned any other foster homes. Maybe this is why Kendi's so down all the time.

"She had a sister?"

"I don't know. I think it was her best friend who was older or something. Her name was Diana or something like that."

Diana. Doesn't ring a bell. Why would Kendi keep something like this? I promised that as soon as I got back home (and out of this straitjacket), I would call Kendi and find out. We went back to watching the movie. After a few minutes, we heard snoring. It turned out to be the other guy that I couldn't see because it was so dark.

**Cameron's POV**

After Kendi left, I watched the rest of the CSI episode. I couldn't watch _Drake and Josh_ knowing what happen the first time Kendi and I saw it. And as a matter of fact, I'm not talking about the kiss. I'm talking about Kendi meeting my dad.

Dad's asleep right now so there shouldn't have been any interruptions. I forgot to factor in Kendi's dad showing up. Stupid me.

Okay, I'll admit, sometimes I don't mind when Kendi and I are alone. Sometimes, I don't mind being around her. Actually there are times I do but only if there's a chance of me making a fool of myself or something like that.

Am I sick? Maybe I should just ask Rodney about it. It's not like Dan would care. Dan and I haven't been showing any brotherly love lately. Not that it matters. Dan and I haven't gotten along that well ever since Dad lost his job. Actually, we haven't gotten along that well ever since our mom died. I don't know how, but ever since that day, Dan somehow put himself in charge of things as if he was left to do mom's job or something. It's almost as if he's depriving himself from being a kid. Maybe that's why we don't get along. I haven't gotten along with many adults lately.

Anyways, I went downstairs to talk to Rodney. He was on his guitar playing the riff for "Smoke on the Water." I still remember when his band used to rehearse here. I always wondered why they broke up. They made awesome music. Rod told me it was because they disagreed a lot. Can disagreements really break up a band?

"Hey Rod," I said. He stopped playing to pay attention to me.

"Hey, Cameron. What's up?"

"Nothing much," I said, although that was far from the truth. Rodney studied my face.

"Something you want kid?"

"No," I said.

"Don't lie to me. What do you need?" I knew what I needed.

"Five minutes of your time," I said. That was usually a signal that one of us needed some advice or something. Rod got the meaning of it.

"I'll do you one better and give you ten. What's on your mind little bro?" I tried to think of how to form all the junk in my head into words.

"What does it mean, when you're with someone and you kind of like being with them but at the same time you get nervous and sick in the stomach?" I said. It sounded stupid to me but Rodney's the kind of guy who can understand stupidity. Not that he is. Stupid, I mean.

Rodney looked at me and said, "Well, either you ate too much of the Kesata High cafeteria food, or you've got yourself a crush."

"Should I start bring my own lunch from now on?" I said trying to avoid the other possibility.

Rodney gave me an exasperated look, and said, "You better be kidding me."

"Yeah, I guess I am. But this isn't how I felt when I liked Kapri," I said.

"Maybe it's love then," Rod said as if it didn't matter. But it mattered. Love. I'm fourteen. I'm too young to know that kind of thing.

I left Rod with his guitar and sat back down on the couch. But my mind wasn't on the mystery unfolding in CSI. Instead, I thought about how I ended up asking Kapri out last year. It was on a dare.

_Flashback _**(A/N: Sorry** **I didn't warn ya about this)**

It was the middle of October. I still had blond hair and I was thirteen. I didn't like school. I got good grades but I still didn't like it. I only went because Dan forced me to and because Kapri Somers was in my first period class.

Kapri Somers is the prettiest girl in the eighth grade. She was blond, green eyed, and a cheerleader. Every guy had a crush on her, including me. Hey, I wasn't perverted if that's what you're thinking. I liked her 'cause she seemed nicer than most girls I knew. I didn't know that many girls.

I've talked to her before. Sometimes during class when there's a partner project or a science lab we'd be talking. But usually I just said hi to her in the halls. Or she would to me. My friends already knew I had a crush on her. They didn't need me to tell them.

"Dude, why don't you get it over with and ask her out?" Jarod said. I just looked down and played with the food. Cafeteria food was never worth eating.

"Why should I?" I said.

"Because if she says yes, you can go celebrate or something and if she says no, you can get on with your life," Saban explained.

"And you can say that you had a girlfriend in your middle school life," Zonks added. I just went on rearranging the food on my tray.

"Ah, Cam's too chicken to ask her out," Jarod said. This set me off.

"I'm not chicken! I just don't know how I'd ask her," I said.

"Liar. You're just too scared to." Jarod was trying to bully me into asking Kapri.

"Shut up," I said.

"You know what? I dare ya to ask her. If you do, I'll shut my mouth and never call you a loser again," Jarod said.

"And if I don't?"

"Then I get to choose a different band name. How's Jarod and the other Stupidheads sound?" We all knew Jarod wasn't too thrilled with the name, Residents of Mangled City, for our band but Zonks and Saban seemed to like it. I had to like it since it was the name I thought up of.

I knew Jarod was only kidding but Saban and Zonks didn't seem to see that.

"Don't let him Cam!" Zonks said.

"You're on," I said to Jarod. What have I got to lose? Oh, yeah. My self-respect. Ah, I don't have that much anyways.

"Hey Talon! Aren't you going to eat that food? Oh, I see. You're an anorexic. That's why you're such a skinny hobo!" a voice behind me said. Jed.

"Running out of insults, huh?" I said without turning around to face him. I already knew that his little redhead friend would be right behind him laughing away.

"Why don't you just off yourself already? We all know you want to anyways," Jed said. That was a big blow. I felt my face grow warm. Jed was always accusing me of being suicidal. I'd probably say something back if I didn't know he was right.

"Shut your trap, Jed!" Jarod said. He didn't have a clue that Jed wasn't lying. Jed didn't even know that he wasn't lying. He just liked to cut me down.

Jed sneered at us and left.

The next day, I saw Kapri in first period again.

"H-hi, Kapri," I managed to stutter out. She looked at me with a smile. She has a nice smile **(Remember this is thirteen year old Cam, he hasn't exactly learned about Kapri yet) **

"Hi Cam," she said. I had to say it now. Just say it.

"You… you…" I stammered. Just call me the world's biggest loser.

"Huh? What is it?" she said.

"You wanna go out with me?" I said. She gave me an even bigger smile. This one showed her beautiful teeth. **(No! We need to save Cam! Where's my Avenged Sevenfold CD?)**

"Sure, Cam!" she said. She gave me a quick hug before going to her seat. I overheard her talking to her friends.

"Guess what? Cameron Talon just asked me out!" she said. Then I heard them squeal in delight. I hope that's a good sign.

"Who's the chicken now?" I said to Jarod when I saw him in the halls. He only looked at me wide-eyed.

_End Flashback_

Thinking about that made me gag. I was definitely not that smart for a thirteen year old. At about 10:15, the phone rang. Who the hell calls this late?

"I got it!" I said as I picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Kendi."

"Oh, hey. What's up?"

"Uh, well I thought I should tell you that I told Roxie and Maya about…" she faded.

"About what?"

"Dana." Her voice turned quiet.

"Oh."

"Roxie bumped Emmet today at the movies. He let it slip. She also saw this guy. Jed, I think his name was. Did he really bully you?" How did Kendi find that out?

"Yeah. But why did you tell Maya if Emmet told Roxie?" I said trying to avoid talking about Jed.

"Well, Roxie called me up and asked about it. I told her and then I thought that if Roxie was going to know, then Maya might as well."

"Makes sense." Then I remembered Kendi's scars. "Are you still, you know, cutting?"

The line was silent for a moment. "Yes," she finally said.

"Can you stop?" I asked.

"I don't know."

"You're not gonna kill yourself like Dana are you?" I had to ask.

"Do you want the honest truth or the sugar-coated lie?"

"Truth."

"I'm not sure." This scared me. Really scared me. The possibility of losing someone else didn't make me want to jump for joy.

"Please. Don't. We need you here," I said.

"I can't promise anything." I wouldn't hear it.

"Try."

"Okay, I promise I'll keep myself alive to enjoy this messed up world," Kendi said.

"Are your fingers crossed?" I said.

"No," she said, "I promise." I could almost sense that Kendi was smiling on the other end. This made me believe her.

We hung up a few minutes later and I went back to the couch.

I thought about my own thoughts of suicide during middle school. I remembered starting farewell letters but then crumpling them up and throwing them in the trash. Once I'd even attempted to swallow pills, but Dan caught me with the bottle of aspirin before I could even open it. He yelled at me for even thinking of taking my life. I told him I'd rather die than deal with Dad and him always putting me down. Dan shut up and even looked hurt. I didn't care. I was horrible back then and that was only last year. Rodney, though, sat me down and gave me this whole lecture that I shouldn't just kill myself because of Dad and a few bullies like Jed. That meant I was letting them win. I haven't had that many suicidal thoughts after we started the band. But hearing about Dana brought them back.

Dad came down looking flushed.

"Isn't it time for you to go to bed?" he said roughly. I ignored him. I didn't feel like starting another fight.

"Didn't you hear me boy? Go to your room!" he yelled.

"Dad, leave him alone!" Dan said from the dining table. He was about ready to stop us from fighting. I simply got up and went to my room to change and go to sleep. For some reason Dan saw something strange in this.

"Cam?" Dan said as he opened the door to my room. I was already in my bed with the covers over me.

"Yeah?" I said my voice muffled by the blanket.

"Is something wrong? You seem… quiet tonight."

"Yeah, so? Maybe I don't feel like fighting with Dad," I said hoping he'd go away.

"Cam, if something's bugging you, you can always talk to me and Rod," Dan said.

"Yeah, yeah," I said disdainfully.

"Okay, then. Good night." Dan waited for me to answer but I didn't give him one. I pretended to be asleep even though we both knew I wasn't. Dan finally left me alone.

As I was lying there in the dark, I was wondering if I stayed under the covers long enough if I could suffocate myself.

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**A/N: No, Cameron! Okay, please don't get too angry at him and Kendi. We still love 'em! And if you were confused by the whole Kendi telling Roxie and Maya thing, here's how it went. Roxie called Kendi after coming back from the movies (and coming out of the straitjacket) and Kendi told her all about Dana. Then Kendi felt that she needed to tell Maya so she calls her up around 9:50 even though it's late. Then she calls Cam to let him know that Roxie and Maya know. Did you guys get all that? Sorry this took so long to post up. I want to thank all my reviewers for letting me know what they think and for making sure I get this story updated. And if you haven't reviewed this chapter yet, there's this purple button around the corner that will help you solve that (Jay, I saw this from a bunch of other fanfics).**

**Kapri: Cameron's suicidal? NO!  
Dan: I hope he's okay.  
RL1110: (pats Dan on the back to comfort him) Don't worry. Pony talked to Darry so Cam should be able to open up to you soon.**

This skit wasn't supposed to be funny unless anyone wants to tell Kapri to shut up.  
R&R if you want to see another chapter! (I need the reminders to update.)


	26. A Visit From Uncle Sodapop

**Chapter Twenty Six- A Visit From Uncle Sodapop**

**A/N: Title is self-explanatory.  
Ponyboy: It's about time! I thought I was never going to see my brothers in this story.  
Darry: When am I coming?  
RL1110: Read the chapter you guys!  
And I want to thank all my reviewers again for their patience. That includes Rugrats101, Ranmayuusuke930, esawyer, Desiree, Carly (aka Maya aka Mercedes), Sodapop's#1gurl, animalsare4life, Anna Banana (heehee, some people call me that, too), A, Iwonerd, Sam (Greenrider), and Wandering One. This chapter is dedicated to all of my wonderful reviewers.**

Disclaimer: (It's a black and white crime movie scene with a big burly Two Bit acting as a tough street cop. RL1110 is being questioned)  
Two-Bit: (pretends to chew on a cigar) Now, I don't want no funny business here. Only the truth. Nuttin' but the truth.  
RL1110: (Nervously) Yessir.  
Two-Bit: Do you or do you not own "The Outsiders?"  
RL1110: N-no sir. I do not own "The Outsiders."  
Two-Bit: Then who does?  
RL1110: That would be S.E. Hinton sir. One of the greatest writers we know.  
Two-Bit: Is that so?  
RL1110: Y-yes.  
Two-Bit: (normal, jokey voice) Well, she has to be a good writer 'cause she created me. (slicks back hair and goes back to tough street cop) Now where were we? Oh, yes. Did you get the idea for a skit as a disclaimer from Rugrats101 and Maddiecake?  
RL1110: YES! It's all true!  
Two-Bit: My work here is done.  
**Yeah, this kinda sucked but I was getting bored with the same old routine.

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Kendi's POV**

I was starting to regret telling Cam that I wasn't sure I wanted to live or not. He seemed more careful around me, like one bad word would cause me to fall apart. Although, I was getting worried about him. Rod's been telling me that Cam's been a little secluded from him and Dan. Cam seemed really angry with Dan. Every time I asked him about his brothers, it was always the same response.

"Oh, Rod's doing fine, but Dan still hates my guts." If Rodney were around, usually he'd whack Cam upside his head.

"That's not true and you know it!" Rod would say. "He cares about you! He just has a different way of showing it."

"So pretending he hates me is his way of showing he cares?" Cam would say sarcastically.

"Cam!" I still don't know why Cam hates… no, hates is too strong. This is his brother for crying out loud, his flesh and blood. He can't hate him. Well, I still don't know why he doesn't get along with Dan. Dan always seemed nice when I come over.

I met up with Cam at his locker.

"Hey, Kendi," he said.

"Hey." Cam wasn't looking too good. He looked like he hadn't had enough sleep judging by the dark circles around his eyes. I hope he's all right.

**Cameron's POV**

Bad week so far. Dad hit me again for spilling Coke all over the table by accident. Dan and I got into another argument. He'd been getting on me of how I'm too out of focus and that I need to start concentrating on school more. This was all because I got a few Bs and Cs on my report card and one D. Guess where I got that one? I'll give you a hint, it's boring, confusing, and the teacher still thinks I cheat on my homework by using the back of the book. I don't, not anymore anyways. I got an A in Language Arts though. Writing is not that hard for me.

But the worst part might be reverting back to this mantra I used to do back in middle school. Whenever I thought about suicide, sometimes I would take out a bottle of aspirins (or whatever I could find), a piece of paper, and a pencil. Then I would place everything on the coffee table in the living room and sit and think about what I would do with them. Sometimes, I would just put the stuff back and move on. Sometimes, I would start a suicide note, but then crumple it up and put the pills back. I almost tried swallowing the pills, but like I said, Dan caught me before I opened the bottle.

Last night, I had the pills, the paper, and the pencil in front of me on the coffee table. I tried to think of reasons not to go through with it. I was about to pick up the pencil when Rod caught me and took everything away. He went on with the same old lecture of how Mom would've hated to see me like this if she were alive. I just nodded my head and agreed with everything he said just like I'd done before. I wasn't really listening until he said…

"Kendi's already had to deal with losing her sister to suicide. What do you think she'll do if she loses you?"

This caught my attention. I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts to think about what my actions could do to Kendi. Did I really want to hurt her?

When I saw her today in Language Arts, I knew the answer.

I couldn't.

We had to write poems today. That was easy.

_Losing__  
By Cameron Talon_

_I'm losing everything  
My heart, my mind, my soul  
Words that seemed so warm before  
Now seem so cold  
Losing religion, losing faith  
Losing love but gaining hate  
Losing the home I once thought safe  
So let this darkness come  
Let it take control  
Let it block out the images  
That have gotten so old  
I'm losing myself, this I know  
My self-esteem has gotten so low  
Things are falling apart  
Loved ones are leaving  
And so it seems  
I am still grieving  
But even as the world goes black  
And the end seems so soon  
Please believe me when I say  
I hate the thought of losing you_

I looked it over again. Not bad exactly for being written in only fifteen minutes **(literally). **Not the best poem but it'll at least get me a decent grade.

"Now when you finish your poem, I would like you to switch with a partner and read his or her work. Give your partner feedback about his or her poem." Kendi and I immediately partnered up. I read Kendi's poem.

_Invisible__  
By Kendi Curtis_

_I'm not here  
I'm not there  
Don't look for me  
I won't be anywhere  
I walk through the halls  
Not a word, not a sound  
I'm the whisper in the walls  
The ones you never found  
Day by day, I sit in class  
You do not see me  
I am part of your past  
While you all giggle and snicker and laugh  
I'll be right here, my spirit in half  
You won't even care  
You don't give a damn  
You'll just assume  
That this is who I am  
So I'll sit here silently  
Just waiting a while  
You're all so happy and carefree  
That just ain't my style  
I'll just stare into space  
Let my mind explore  
And when I'm finally set free  
I won't be invisible anymore_

Kendi's poem made me think a lot. What was she talking about? Did she mean she was going to do something drastic to get noticed?

"Your poem's good," Kendi said breaking into my thoughts. "Do you really feel like you're losing?"

"Sometimes," I said.

"I think we all do at some point," Kendi said. I knew I had to say something to her.

"Well, your poem's pretty cool," I said," It's just a little strange about you being invisible.

"Why?"

" 'Cause you're not really that invisible. Not to me anyways," I said. She smiled at me.

"Thanks, Cam. That was really sweet of you." I felt my face go red. Is this how love felt like?

**Kendi's POV**

After school, Maya and Roxie joined me on the bus. They were coming over to my house so we could do our homework and stuff. And so we could watch some of the _Inuyasha _movies that Roxie was bringing along.

When we got off the bus, Adriane was talking again.

"And did you guys see how stupid that Zonks kid was acting in the halls? I swear, that guy has issues or something. I mean, who goes around pretending like they're a chicken and flapping their arms around? My gawd…"

"Hey, don't make fun of Zoinks! That's our job!" Maya said. We knew about Zonks walking around clucking like a chicken on the way to lunch. Heck, Roxie was the one who dared him too. Along with Jarod's encouragement, that is.

"I didn't think he'd actually do it!" was Roxie's excuse. Right.

"Zonks," Roxie and I said in unison. Maya was always getting Zonks's name wrong.

"Why do you guys get the honor of teasing him?" Adriane said.

"Because we know him, that's why. He's our friend," Roxie said.

"Oh yeah, Zonks is part of that group you guys hang out with," Adriane said.

"Yeah," I said. "So leave Zonks alone."

"Zonks is weird," Adriane said.

"We already knew Zoinks was weird. It's not that hard to figure out," Maya said.

"Zonks," Roxie and I said again.

"Well, at least he's not as bad as Cam," Adriane said. This caught all of our attention. No one, I mean no one, badmouths Cam. There's nothing to badmouth him for. Except for his attitude towards teachers and his moodiness. But hey, we all get moody, and it's not that hard to dislike Mr. Danza.

"What's wrong with Cam?" I said.

"He's just so moody. Is he always depressed? Man, I think he needs therapy or something. I mean, he's cute and all, but he's always acting like he's the only one in pain and that no one understands him. He should get a life!"

"Maybe _you_ should!" I said. I didn't know why I said it so loudly. Maybe it was because I knew some of what was behind his angry front. I knew what bugged him. I knew him. And Adriane didn't. How dare she say things like that without even knowing Cameron? How dare she talk about him that way without trying to see into his pain?

"Yeah, Adriane, Cam's not a bad guy. He's actually pretty cool," Maya said.

"Yeah, dumping Kapri just because of one fight is very cool," Adriane said.

"It wasn't just one fight. It was the way she treated him. Cam would've dumped her earlier if he wasn't so nice!" Roxie said. "So leave Camel alone!"

"Camel, huh? Are you cheating on Rawley, Roxie? I don't think he'd be too happy that you were getting close to his best friend," Adriane remarked. I don't know why, but her statement burned me up. Cam kissed me, not Roxie. Cam invited me to trick or treat with his neighbor's kids. He asked me if I was okay when he saw my scars.

"Adriane, you're being ridiculous. Roxie would never cheat on her boyfriend," I said. It was usually the other way around but that didn't need to be mentioned. Adriane turned to me as we were walking home.

"You like Cam, don't you," Adriane said. My cheeks started to get warm.

"As a friend, yeah," I said.

"You really do like him!" Adriane persisted. Roxie saw how uncomfortable I was getting. So did Maya. I usually only discussed this stuff with them. Adriane's too much of a blabbermouth.

"Adriane, she likes Cam as much as Roxie and me. As a friend, get it?" Maya said.

"Well, if she does like Cam, she should stop. Cam's a retard. That's why he gets beat up everyday."

"How do you know he gets beat up everyday?" I said. Did she know about…?

"He always has bruises on him. He probably just mouths off at people. God, maybe he should just go and…" Before Adriane could say what Cam should do, I shoved her into a nearby bush. I was angry. She didn't know Cam at all.

"You don't know him so shut up!" I said. Then I just kept walking leaving Adriane with a confused face.

"Kendi, are you okay?" Maya said.

"Yeah, Kendi. Adriane totally deserved that but you seem a little more tweaked than we'd expect you to be," Roxie said.

"So?" I said. "Adriane was being a bitch and she was bashing on Cam. What was I supposed to do?"

"Call her a bitch and _then_ push her into a bush!" Roxie said mocking.

"Oh yeah. I forgot that part," I said sarcastically.

"You also forgot to take those brown curls of hers and shoving them into her mouth," Maya said trying to join in.

"That might be going too far," I said. I thought that we'd be taking this conversation into my house but when I unlocked the door entered, we were greeted by the music of Elvis. It was being played loudly too.

I actually like to listen to some of my parents' music. It's what got me into rock. Mom loved The Beatles and Dad was all for Elvis's music. But Dad wasn't here right now. And Mom barely played music because she was too busy to pop a CD in the stereo. And I know Uncle Darry couldn't be here 'cause I heard he was on some other business trip. So that left…

"Uncle Sodapop!" I screamed as I saw the tall blond figure in the dining room. Uncle Soda grabbed me in his arms and spun me around a couple times. My friends knew my uncle so they were used to seeing this.

"Hey we want a spin!" Roxie said. Uncle Sodapop put me down and started giving my friends a spin too. He was used to doing this with us. Even if we are fourteen Uncle Soda doesn't see why we couldn't be spun around once in a while.

"So how are my little rock stars doing?" Uncle Soda asked us in a friendly voice. He was always carefree. I could see his dancing dark brown eyes.

"We're fine," I said plainly knowing Roxie was going to spill everything to him. Well, almost everything.

"I have a new boyfriend!" Roxie screamed. Of course Roxie tells Uncle Soda that. We almost always told Uncle Soda about what happens at school. He never tells any bad stuff to my parents which is cool.

"Really? Who's the lucky guy?" Uncle Soda truly interested.

"Rawley!" Roxie said.

"Interesting name," Uncle Soda said who should know a thing or two about interesting names. "What about you two?" Uncle Soda said to Maya and me.

"Uh, well, we still have no one," Maya said.

"But you will soon!" Roxie singsonged.

"And what makes you say that?" I said.

"Well, I swear when Maya was talking about how Saban called her last week during Halloween night, I heard a click," Roxie said.

"How did you hear a click? Is that even possible?" Maya said.

"Yes, I could hear a click the way you talked about what you guys were saying on the phone," Roxie said.

"How do you hear a click in a conversation about silly string and candy?" Maya said.

"I just did, dammit!" Roxie said. End of discussion. For now. "Anyways, we all know Kendi and Cameron are gonna have to start going out."

"What?" I said.

"You heard me. We all know you like him," Roxie said. I started to go red again. Didn't Roxie see that Uncle Soda was right here?

"Uh, Roxie, come on. Leave Kendi alone," Maya said. Remind me to get Maya an iPod for Christmas.

"Cam? Where have I heard that name before?" Uncle Soda said. "Oh yeah. I think your dad might've mentioned him on the phone a couple times. Your dad said that he got into some fight in the park with a student of his, Jed. Is that him, Kendi?" I nodded with my head down. This didn't sound good the way Uncle Soda said it.

"Jed's a butthead. Cam had every right to beat him up. Now if it were me who got to him…" Uncle Soda cut Roxie off when he messed up my hair.

Then he said, "So my little niece goes for the bad boys, huh?" He said it playfully and jokingly in the only way that Uncle Sodapop could sound. "Maybe you should invite him to dinner sometime. Uncle Darry may be arriving next week for Thanksgiving."

Everything seemed to be okay with Uncle Soda. I don't think he really cared about Cam being in a fight. Uncle Soda's probably been in more fights than Cam and the rest of RMC combined back when he was our age.

Mom appeared and said, "Well, I guess you girls met our visitor. How are you all doing?"

"Fine," my friends and I said.

After Mom left to go to the kitchen again, Uncle Soda said, "You know, Kendi, I really wouldn't mind meeting this Cam one day. Maybe he can change your father's impression of him."

* * *

**A/N: Sucky ending, I know. But I thought it was getting really boring and that it needed an end somewhere. But I hope all the Sodapop fans don't gang up on me for cutting Soda's part short. And Darry will be in soon for any Darry lovers out there. Thanks to all of my reviewers. Now, please press that purple button in the corner.  
P.S. I do own the poems, "Losing," and "Invisible."**


	27. Thanksgiving with the Curtises

**Chapter Twenty Seven- Thanksgiving with the Curtises**

**A/N: Another self-explanatory title. I know S.E. Hinton said something about Sodapop dying in the Vietnam War (or so I've heard) but let's just he's alive.**

**Jed: Did you call me a butthead?  
Roxie: Yeah, so? What are you gonna do about it?  
Jed: I'd whack you but I don't hit crazy ladies.  
Roxie: You think I'm crazy? That's so nice.  
Jed: You're weird.  
Roxie: You're stupid. Why don't you like Cam?  
Jed: Because…  
Roxie: Is it because Cam can get a girlfriend and you can only take Emmet to the movies?  
Jed: What!  
RL1110: I was wondering about that…**

**I really don't know why Jed was with Emmet at the movies.**

Disclaimer: Susan Eloise Hinton owns "The Outsiders" and, sadly, I do not.

* * *

**Maya's POV**

Roxie had to leave after an hour and a half. I was staying over at Kendi's because both my parents were on a business trip of some sort. My little brother likes to stay over at his friend's house. I stay over at the Curtises.

Kendi and I were sitting in front of the TV watching the show, "Yo Momma," on MTV. It's a show we're people compete to see who can make the better insult/joke.

"You're momma's so stupid that when she was going to Disneyland, she saw a sign that said 'Disneyland left,' and she turned around and went home!" one guy said. **(Oh yeah. I don't own this quote either cuz this really was on the show, "Yo Momma." That was a funny show!) **Kendi and I started laughing. Hard. Very hard.

"That guy's gonna win for sure!" Kendi said. She was right. The other guy couldn't think of anything that could be better and Wilmer Valderrama (the host) named the guy with the Disneyland joke as the winner.

"The jokes are supposed to be mean, but the other guys can't help laughing at their opponent's jokes," I said. It was true. You always saw the other guy cracking up when someone made a diss about their mother.

"Yeah," Kendi said. At the end credits, a music video was playing as the names were scrolling down the screen. It was an Ashley Parker Angel video for his song, "Let U Go." I have to admit, it was pretty good.

"I actually like this song," Kendi said. "Don't tell Roxie I said that."

"I like it, too," I said. When we watched the video I noticed that Ashley Parker Angel looked a little bit like Kendi. An idea popped into my head.

"You ever wonder if any of the celebrities you see on TV are related to you in some way?" I asked.

"Yeah, sometimes I think about it. It's weird because I don't really know for sure about them. My parents, I mean. Sometimes, when I'm walking down the street, I look at the people I pass by and wonder, 'Is he my dad?' 'Is she my mom?' 'Are those my cousins?' 'My siblings?' I know that's weird but…" Kendi didn't finish her sentence.

"That's not weird. I bet many adopted kids wonder that," I said.

"Yeah, I guess." Kendi and I stayed silent for the next few minutes.

"Kendi, do you mind if I ask about Dana?" I said. I saw Kendi grow more miserable. "Wait, I didn't mean to… I just meant…"

"It's okay. What do you want to ask?" Kendi said. She didn't look happy at the sound of Dana's name. I don't blame her.

"Well, you know… It's not that important," I said. I didn't want to bring Kendi down any more than she already was.

"What is it?" Kendi said.

"Well, I was just wondering about that knife Dana told you to keep. What happened to it?" I said.

"Ummm… I think it's in my room somewhere. Along with that necklace she gave me before she… you know," Kendi couldn't really say what happened.

"You've never used it, right?" I said.

"NO!" Kendi got defensive. "Do you think I'd really do that?" I thought about it. Call me a horrible friend or whatever but I had to ask anyways.

"Would you?" I asked. Kendi got uncomfortable.

"No," she said. I didn't believe her. I wanted to, I really did, but a part of me, a stronger part, made me look at the truth.

"Kendi, seriously, don't lie," I said. I felt bad about saying that. After all, this was my best friend. Why couldn't I just trust her?

"Why are you asking, Maya?" she said even more defensive.

"Because I'm worried, that's why." Silence followed. Well, not complete silence because we could still hear the TV. I just didn't know what show was on or even what channel we were watching. It didn't matter.

Kendi folded her arms across her chest. "Do you really want to know?" she said. I looked her straight in the eye.

"Yes, I want to know what's going on," I said. And I meant it, too. Friends don't let friends suffer alone.

"Just promise me you won't tell," Kendi said.

"I promise." Kendi pulled up her sleeve. On her arm was an array of lines, scars. Some of them looked bad and some looked like she did them yesterday. There were a lot of scabs on her arm too. Oh, God.

"Kendi!" I yelled. She immediately pulled her sleeve down and looked to the floor shamefully. I knew I upset her. "I'm sorry, it's just that… I don't want you to… you know…" I couldn't bring myself to say it.

"You don't want me to end up like Dana," Kendi said knowingly. I could only nod. "Cam said something like that, too." Yeah, Cam would say that. Hold on…

"You told Cam?" I said.

"I didn't exactly tell him. He just found out," Kendi said. He just found out. Cameron knew this all along. And yet, he let her keep at it. Cameron, what were you thinking?

"Kendi, are you going to do that again?" I asked. Kendi didn't answer. I knew. I've known Kendi since sixth grade and I've never seen her so sad. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay," Kendi said. I don't know if I could believe her.

"Why do you do it, Kendi?"

"I don't know. I guess everything starts to get out of control and… sometimes I cant get along with people… then there are just times when everything seems so distant and stuff. That didn't make sense." On the contrary, it made a whole lot of sense.

"I understand," I said.

"Do you feel like hurting yourself sometimes?" Kendi asked. I thought about it.

"I guess. I don't know. I never follow through though." When have I thought about that?

"Seriously?" Kendi said.

"Yeah, like when my parents and I don't get along and stuff," I said.

"I know what you mean," Kendi said. Suddenly she took a glance towards the window. There was smoke coming off the front porch. Kendi got irritated.

"He promised," she muttered under her breath. Kendi's dad smoked. She and her mom hated it and they've been trying to get him to quit. But every time he tries he goes back. It pisses Kendi off a lot.

"I'm sure he's trying, Kendi," I said.

"Sometimes, I wonder if he really is," Kendi said. Uncle Soda (We call him Uncle Soda even if he isn't our uncle because we already call Kendi's dad Mr. Curtis. It would just get confusing) came to the TV room.

"What are you guys watching?" he asked. That's when we realized that "My Super Sweet 16" was on and we didn't even know it.

"Ahh! Change the channel! Quick, before it brainwashes us!" I said. Whose bright idea was it to make a show about spoiled brats wanting everything for their sixteenth birthday and watching them pout when they don't get what they want? I mean, if you're going to have a big party, why are you going to make your invitations "exclusive?"

"You know, I could just see Valencia and Kapri ending up on this show," Kendi said.

"Yeah, and we probably wouldn't be invited 'cause we're 'gothic,'" I said.

"Would we really want to go to their party?" Kendi asked.

"Probably not. Too many preppy people would be there and no Evanescence songs would be played, which would suck," I said.

"I say we make our own party and if no one comes, more sugar for us!" Kendi said.

"Still like those Nickelodeon shows, huh?" Uncle Soda said. Kendi had changed the channel to Nickelodeon all right. The show _Drake and Josh_ was on. It's a pretty funny show. Why was Kendi staring at it like it was cursed?

"Is he still smoking?" Uncle Soda asked Kendi. We knew whom he was referring to.

"Yeah," Kendi said dejectedly.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to him later," Uncle Soda said. Then he sat down in the armchair beside the couch. "So, Kendi, about this Cam…"

"He's not a bad person," Kendi said immediately.

"I didn't say he was," Uncle Soda said. "What I was going to say is what do you two know about him?"

"He's cool," I said. "He's got a band too and Kendi's also in it."

"Really? Kendi, you didn't say anything about being in a band."

"Slipped my mind," Kendi said.

"What's the name?" Uncle Soda asked.

"Residents of Mangled City. Cam sings and plays guitar like I do and our friends Jarod, Saban, and Zonks are on bass, guitar, and drums."

"That's good. So are you going to invite him for Thanksgiving?" Uncle Soda asked. Kendi looked surprised.

"I thought you were just kidding," she said.

"Oh, come on, Kendi, you know you wanna ask him," I said.

"I'll see," Kendi said. Yeah, she'll see. I'll make sure of it.

"Girls, dinnertime!" Mrs. Curtis called. Yes, I'm starved! I could smell Mrs. Curtis's semi-famous Lobster Pot Pie **(LOOOOOVE Lobster Pot Pie!) **

"Last one to the table has to eat leftovers!" Uncle Soda said. He always said stuff like this. And he always lets us win. Kendi and I were first to the table and Uncle Soda snapped his fingers in mock disappointment.

**Cameron's POV**

"Buenos dìas, Señora Hernandez," I said as I took my seat in Spanish. See? I can be polite when I want to.

Señora smiled and said, "Hola, Cameron." I sat down. Yeah, I was early. This morning, Dan and I fought again and I went over to Rawley's just to get away. Rawley and Aunt CeeCee don't mind. So I ate breakfast at their place and Rawley and I left early to go to school. Rawley always goes to school early. Don't ask me why. Even I don't know.

Kendi came later.

"Hey, Cameron," she said.

"Hey." I didn't feel like telling her about Dan and me fighting. I don't think she'd want to know.

"Umm… Cam, are you doing anything for Thanksgiving?" Kendi asked. I thought about it. I'd most likely be eating chicken, not turkey, with Dan, Rodney and my dad, and at some point Dad and I will get into an argument and then I'll probably be shoved to the ground. Thanksgiving, indeed.

"Nothing special. Why?"

"Because I was wondering if you wanted to eat with me and my family for Thanksgiving. My Uncle Soda is going to be there."

"Uhhhh… your Uncle who?" I think I heard wrong. I thought she said Uncle Soda.

"My Uncle Soda. Yeah, it's a strange name. My family's full of strange names. I also have an Uncle Darry and my mom's nickname is Cherry, and my dad's real name is Ponyboy." I snickered at "Ponyboy." Kendi glared at me.

"Sorry, it's just that your dad's name really is Ponyboy?"

"Yeah, but could you not tell people? He always tells people to call him Michael instead. Besides, my name isn't that normal either. Maybe I should change my name."

"No way. Your name is pretty cool. It's a nice name. Don't change it," I said. "And I wouldn't mind eating with your family on Thanksgiving either." I definitely wouldn't mind. Kendi just saved me from being whacked by my dad again. And saved me an argument with Dan.

"Your brothers can come to if they want." Uhhh… yeah.

"I don't think they can," I said simply. She looked at me nervously.

"Are you and Dan still fighting?" I didn't answer.

"You know, Dan's only trying to help you. You and Rodney are what he's got. You ever thought about that?" Kendi said. You and Rodney are what he's got. What did that mean? Dan had other things. He had a job. But that's because he needs to help with the bills and to support us. He's got his friends. But the only time he hears from them is through mail and phone calls because most of them are at college. He had Dad. But Dad's too drunk to care about anything at all. Maybe Kendi's right. Maybe Dan did care. But do I?

On Thanksgiving Day… 

Jim gave me a ride to the Curtises. He didn't mind because he was on his way to his friend's house as well.

"See ya later, Cam. Good luck with your girl," Jim said. I didn't bother mentioning that Kendi wasn't "my girl." She was just a friend. **(Clueless much?) **

I rang the doorbell. Kendi answered. "Hi, Cam," she said. She was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and jeans. Suddenly, I didn't feel so underdressed in my black jeans, gray t-shirt and green jacket.

"Hey," I said. She led me inside. Kendi lived in a nice house. Not a mansion or anything like that, but a house with a kind of middle-class quietness. I saw a tall man who looked like he could've been a football player in college. He had short brown hair and pale blue-green ice, I mean eyes. This must be one of Kendi's strangely named uncles.

"Cam, this is my Uncle Darry. Uncle Darry, this is my friend, Cameron," she said. See? She said "friend."

"Hello, Cameron," Uncle Darry said. When we got to the living room, Mr. Curtis (Kendi's dad) was there talking with two other men. One was skinny, blond haired, and looked older than Mr. Curtis. He reminded me of someone. Then there was this guy who had red sideburns and was doing most of the talking.

"And this other guy started talking about his kids and stuff, and us guys were like, 'Man, you have a wife and children and you still hang out at the bar? What's wrong with you?' And then the rest of the guys started crackin' up."

"Hey, Kendi. You gonna introduce your friend over here?" the blond one said.

"Yeah, this is Cameron, and Cam, this is my Uncle Soda," she said. Then she indicated the guy with the red sideburns. "And this is Two-Bit."

"Hi," I said with a slight smile, the one I usually give to adults that I just met.

"Hey, kid. Nice to meet ya," Two-Bit said. I just kept on smiling. This is painful.

In the TV room, I saw two women talking. One had red hair and the other one had black hair. They were talking together like they'd been old friends.

"Cam, this is my mom," Kendi said pointing the red haired woman, "And this is my Aunt Melissa, Darry's wife **(I almost put Marcia in but a DarryMarcia pairing didn't sound very good)**." A guy of about seventeen came to the room.

"Hey," he said to us. He had a mop of messy dark brown hair and was in a white shirt and camouflage pants.

"Oh, and this is my cousin, Spaceship," Kendi said.

"Very funny. It's Rocket, not Spaceship," he said good-naturedly. Another weird name.

"I'm Cameron," I said.

"Kids, dinner!" Uncle Darry said to us.

During dinner, most of Kendi's family (and Two-Bit. Haven't figured out how he's related to Kendi) threw questions at me. How is school? How are your grades? What's your favorite subject?

Mrs. Curtis even asked, "Have you ever had a girlfriend, Cam?"

"MOM!" Kendi said in horror. Actually, I really didn't mind.

"Yeah, just one," I said.

"Did you break up with her, or was it the other way around?" Two-Bit asked.

"I broke up with her," I said. It wasn't until a moment later that I realized how cocky I sounded. "But, I mean, it was because it wasn't working out and…"

"Don't worry, Cam. We've all had bad relationships," Uncle Soda said. (Kendi told me to just call her uncles Uncle Soda and Uncle Darry and to call Aunt Melissa Aunt Melissa). He looked like he knew what he was talking about. **(Does the name, Sandy, come to mind?)**

Moving on, there were so more questions about school, about friends, even about the band.

"Hey, how long has your band been together?" Rocket asked.

"Since last year," I said.

"What songs do you guys play?" Aunt Melissa asked.

"Mostly rock songs or whatever we feel like playing." That was true. If I asked the band if we could play the song, "Baa, Baa Black Sheep," the band probably would say, "Okay."

Everything was all right. That is, until they started asking about my family.

"So, Cam, how are your parents?" Mr. Curtis said. I nearly choked on the piece of turkey I was eating.

"Ummm…" I said. How was I supposed to start? Oh yeah, my mom's dead and my dad hasn't been sober in over five years? Yeah, not the most pleasant subjects to talk about at the dinner table.

"Something wrong, Cam?" Mrs. Curtis said.

"Oh, no, nothing. Well, my mom… well, she died when I was little… and…" Shit. I hate saying those words. They seem so meaningless when they're just hanging in the air. No emotion. They don't mean really anything to anyone except for the person talking.

"Oh," Uncle Darry said. Looks of pity, here they come.

"How?" Rocket said. There was a thump from under the table. Kendi, no doubt.

"Car accident," I said. That was as much as I was going to get out. Uncle Soda, Uncle Darry, and Mr. Curtis looked at me as if they knew what I went through.

"You know, Cam, when I was about your age, our parents got into an auto wreck, too. We lost both of them that day," Uncle Soda said. Wow. Both parents in the same accident. That would suck.

"Yeah, I had to give up going to college after they died to support these two," Uncle Darry said indicating Uncle Soda and Mr. Curtis.

"Really?" I said. Uncle Darry nodded. "My brother, Dan, had to give up college, too, after our dad lost his job last year," I said. I don't know how that came out. The words just slipped.

"You have brothers, Cam?" Mr. Curtis said. I nodded. "How many?"

"Only two. Both older. Dan's eighteen now and Rodney's sixteen," I said.

"Is Rodney working, too?" Mr. Curtis said.

"Yes, sir," I said.

"He hasn't dropped out of school, has he?" Uncle Soda said.

"No, Dan would never let him!" Actually, Rodney hasn't been doing too well, and I've overheard Rod talking Dan about possibly quitting school and looking for a good full-time job. But Dan wouldn't hear of it.

"Hey, if he does think about it, don't let him," Uncle Soda said. For some reason, I could tell that Uncle Soda was a dropout, and that he'd been in Rod's place at one time too.

When I looked at Mr. Curtis, I could see that he was pained by all the things I'd told him. I should've just shut my mouth. No one wants to hear someone else's sad story.

**Pony's POV**

I couldn't believe it. This kid, that only a month or two ago I'd caught fighting at the park, was going through so much of what I'd already lived. He, too, was watching his brothers work to make ends meet. He was also haunted by the death of his parent. He was living as a modern Greaser. Just your average JD and no good hood.

"So, what about your dad, Cameron?" Cherry asked. Cameron looked uncomfortable with this question.

"Uhhhh… well he lost his job so he spends most of his time… at home… just lazing around and stuff," Cam said. Cameron was hiding something. When I was his age, I didn't let a lot of strangers into my life. Usually, I'd just open to Sodapop or Two-Bit or Johnny… Johnny.

"So what's the band name?" Two-Bit asked. Cameron seemed relieved to get off the subject of his parents.

"Residents of Mangled City," Cam said. Rocket, Darry's son, laughed.

"Sounds like the modern way to say Greaser," Two-Bit said. Soda, Darry, Cherry and I laughed at this. Cam looked confused.

"Greaser?" he asked. I realized that Cam wasn't familiar with some of the terms we grew up in at Oklahoma.

"Oh, when we were kids, we lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Greaser meant the lower class, not much money, jeans and t-shirts, you know. Kind of the underdogs of society," I said.

"Yeah, and then there were the Socs. The kids who were rich, drove fancy cars, jumped Greasers, and had all the breaks," Two-Bit said.

"Excuse me?" Cherry said.

"Oops, sorry, Cherry. But that was generally what it was," Two-Bit said. Cherry was the only Soc at the table. The rest of us, including Darry's wife, Melissa, were Greasers.

"Why were you guys called Greasers?" Cam asked.

" 'Cause they always put a gob of grease in their long-ass hair," Rocket said.

"Rocket, please, watch your language," Cherry said. She wasn't used to a lot of swearing like the rest of us were.

"And Soc was short for Social," Rocket finished. Growing up in Oklahoma himself, Rocket also knew of the different social classes.

"And then there's the middle-class no one cares about," Kendi said. But she was so quiet that almost none of us heard her.

"Socs and Greasers don't usually get along," Soda explained. "A lot of them cut us down for so many reasons mostly because we weren't as tuff or as rich as them."

"Fights happened between the groups. A group of them would even jump one of us. Pony, here, even got jumped just for walking out the movie theaters alone. It was dangerous back then," Darry said.

"Why don't you tell them about the rumbles, Dad?" Rocket said to Darry.

"Ahh… the rumbles. Yes, Darry, why don't you tell them how we always kicked those Socs' butts?" Soda said.

"Well, rumbles didn't happen that often but they happen more times than they do now. I remember…" Darry went on to tell the long string of stories of the fights, the punching, the will to survive, and every other aspect of a bona fide rumble. Cam was paying close attention. I wondered how many times he'd been in a fight before.

"Cam, is something wrong?" Cherry asked. We all looked at him. Cam looked as if he'd been in his own thoughts but I couldn't see anything unusual.

"No, I'm fine," he said.

I wonder how many times I had said that after Johnny and Dally died.

* * *

**A/N: You know, I was about to keep writing this but it's already long enough, and I'm afraid that it might get a little boring after a while. So I decided to end it here instead and just add the other part on the next chapter. I know some people are waiting for the second chapter of American Idol: Outsiders Style! also and I'm pretty sure that'll be up soon. But the thing is, I really like writing this story because a lot of these things are real. So I'm sorry if I take a while to update American Idol: Outsiders Style! Read and Review please!**

**(P.S. I'm sorry to do this to you guys again, but I'll be leaving for an overnight school field trip next week so you may not hear from me for a while! But I'll try my best to update as soon as I can when I get back!)**


	28. How Clueless Can You Get?

**Chapter Twenty Eight- How Clueless Can You Get?**

**A/N: Yeah, not totally sure why I chose this chapter title. Well, I'm back from my trip! Did anyone miss me this time? (crickets chirp) I'm not loved! Anyways, this is starting to lead up to… what I've been wanting it to lead up to. Yeah, guess you'll have to find out for yourself.**

**Kendi: RockerLane wrote "Stranger to Myself" but I'm the one who gets to sing it.**

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Outsiders." If I could own it, I'd demand a remake of the movie!

* * *

**Kendi's POV**

After Cam left (he got picked up by this Jim dude), Rocket and I sat in front of the TV while all the grown ups talked in the kitchen. Rocket had the remote.

"Do we have to watch football?" I asked. So kill me 'cause I'm not a sports fan. I can't play them or watch them.

"Yes, it's the Patriots versus the Rams! **(I just chose random team names that I actually knew cuz I know zip about football)** I gotta watch this!" Rocket said.

"Ugh." Sometimes, Rocket can get on my nerves. I decided to go downstairs.

"Gonna play guitar?" Uncle Soda said. I didn't know he was there.

"Yeah, I guess," I said. Truth is, I really didn't know what I was going to do downstairs.

"You mind if I listen in? Your dad said that you've been getting pretty good." I shrugged. Why not?

I went downstairs to the little room where I practice. My guitar was on a stand. It was a Fender Stratocaster with the color of Midnight Wine **(Ha! I just described my own guitar!). **I got it for my fourteenth birthday, which means I haven't had it for a long time. I still had my old acoustic guitar that I use from time to time.

So I plugged in my guitar to the amp and started playing some random song, "Freak Out," by Avril Lavigne. **(Which I don't own) **Then I started playing some Green Day, some Paramore **(I'd LOVE to learn to play Paramore's songs!), **and even some of my own. Without singing, of course. For some reason, I can't bring myself to sing in front of anyone besides the band. And Maya, Roxie, and Rawley.

"Your dad said that you read his essay, the one about Johnny and Dally," Uncle Soda said. I nodded. "You know, you are a lot like your father even if he's not your biological one. You're a lot like all of us, in fact."

"Huh?" I said. I wasn't exactly getting what he was saying.

"I mean that you have a lot of traits that we each of the gang has. You're sensitive and creative like your father, you sometimes keep to yourself like Johnny did, you've got a sense of humor like Two-Bit, you can be serious like your Uncle Darry, and you can be a little reckless at times like me." The smile he had throughout his speech started to fade. "But then, you also have a little bit of the anger and hate that filled Dally and my friend, Steve, to the brim. You know your dad's worried about you. He says that you've gotten a little emotional lately. Angry, even. Is something wrong? He wanted me to ask." Emotional? He's worried because I'm emotional? Everyone's emotional, for crying out loud!

"Then why doesn't he ask me himself?" I said.

"Would you have answered him?" I thought about it. I shook my head. "That's why." I stayed silent. I didn't want to open up to anyone at the moment. I manage to bring people down when I do.

"You know, Kendi, if you keep bottling up your feelings, someday, somehow, you're going to lose control of them." I continued to play not wanting to believe that Uncle Soda may be right.

**Roxie's POV**

Hey, Kendi! How'd Thanksgiving with Camel go?" I said when I saw Kendi in Social Studies.

"Good. He met practically everybody."

"Even Two-Bit?" I asked. Two-Bit's a funny guy.

"Yep," she said.

"Even Spaceship?" Maya said.

"Hey, I'm the only one who can call him Spaceship!" Kendi said.

"Actually, he doesn't like it when you call him that either," Maya said.

"Shut up," Kendi said. "Well, Dad knows about Cameron now."

"So?" I said. "Didn't you want him to?"

"Well, it's weird because Dad's family is similar to Cam's. Three boys living together with the loss of a parent with one giving up college and one working through high school. They seem so much alike it's scary."

"Cami's brother gave up college?" A snobby voice said. Valencia. The prep from hell.

"Oh, please don't start calling him that!" I said. "Cami" has to be the stupidest nickname for Cameron. At least for the Cameron we know and love.

"You didn't know that?" Maya said. Well, duh she didn't know that! Camel never tells stuff like that to Valencia!

"Oh, poor Cami…" she started to say.

"Poor Cami, my ass! You don't even care do you?" I said.

"Of course, I care!" Right. And George the tree didn't insult me today when I was going to school. **(Yeah, I had to write it Jay!)**.

"What's going on?" Kapri butted in.

"Nothing," Kendi, Maya, and I said. Let Valencia fill her in.

**Kendi's POV**

Another day, another rehearsal. We set up our equipment and got started.

"Ummm… can we play 'Stranger to Myself'?" I asked. "Stranger to Myself" was a song I wrote. It was about some of the thoughts I'd had and some that Maya had told me about. It was one of my favorite songs that I've written.

"Sure," everyone said. I picked up my guitar and we started playing the song.

_"I don't know my favorite color  
I don't know my favorite band  
I don't know which team I root for__  
Hell, I don't even know who I am_

_Maybe it's just me  
Maybe I'm confused  
Maybe I need therapy  
Yeah, that's what I'll do_

What does it mean when you can't answer questions about yourself?  
What does it mean when you don't know who you are  
And sanity seems so far?

_I'm a stranger to myself  
I wanna be like everybody else  
But at the same time  
I wanna stand out from the crowd  
It makes me wanna scream out loud  
Sometimes it's hard to know how to deal  
But isn't this how everyone feels?_

_I'm not sure of where I'm going  
I'm not sure of who I'm gonna be  
I'm not sure I like not knowing  
The future's just too far to see_

_Maybe I'm going crazy  
Maybe I just need someone to talk to  
Someone who knows what it's like to be  
Unaware of your own point of view_

_Does it matter if you can't describe the kinds of things you like?  
Does it matter if you don't know who you are  
And security seems so far?_

_I'm a stranger to myself  
I wanna be like everybody else  
But at the same time  
I wanna stand out from the crowd  
It makes me wanna scream out loud  
Sometimes it's hard to know how to deal  
But isn't this how everybody feels?"_

When we got into the bridge, the music became edgier and driven.

_"Sometimes you're in heaven  
Sometimes you're in hell  
What good is this life_  
_When you don't even know yourself?_

_  
Everyday I look into the mirror  
Wondering what I'll see  
And when I look into my reflection  
I ask, 'Is this who I wanna be?'  
Is this really me?  
Is this really me?  
Is this really me?_

'_Cause I'm a stranger to myself  
I wanna be like everybody else  
But at the same time  
I wanna stand out from the crowd  
It makes me wanna scream out loud  
Sometimes it's hard to know how to deal  
But isn't this how everyone feels?  
How everyone feels?_

_Is this really me?  
Is this really me?  
Is this really  
Me?"_

We ended on a clean chord. No distortion.

"It's a really good song, Kendi," Jarod said. Coming from Jarod, the so-called "hardest" of our group, that's a straight-out compliment.

**Cameron's POV**

After rehearsal, everyone went packing again. This time, Kendi decided to get a ride with Maya.

"I hate leaving you here with your dad," she whispered to me.

"It's alright. Rod's here anyways." She smiled worriedly at me. For some reason, I feel guilty about worrying a girl who cuts herself for relief. Wasn't it suppose to be the other way around? Me worrying about her, I mean.

She started to walk towards the door with her guitar and amp.

"Don't you guys have a winter dance coming up?" Rod said. He was nudging me towards the door. Kendi paused.

"Yeah, we do. You going?" she said.

"Yeah, and I will be bringing my _date _along which I _asked her out _before she was _already taken_," Rod said emphasizing his words. I got his meaning. But I wasn't sure I was going to do anything about it.

"That's nice. See you later," Kendi said before she left.

When she was finally gone, Rod yelled, "What the hell's the matter with you? You have the perfect chance to ask Kendi out and you blow it!"

"Why would I ask her out?" I said. Rod conked me on the head. Not as hard as Dad or Dan would, but still.

"Cameron! It's not a total secret that you like her so why can't you ask her out?

"Because…" I started, but I couldn't come up with a decent answer. "I don't know."

"Afraid?" Rod said a little calmer than he was before.

"Maybe."

"Understandable." Then Rod seemed to have gotten an idea. "Do you know her number?"

"Yeah, why?" Rod didn't answer. He simply picked up the phone and handed it to me.

"Call her," he said.

"Huh?"

"You heard me. Call her."

"Why do you care so much about me asking Kendi to a stupid dance?"

" 'Cause you're my little brother and I know you wouldn't want to show up at the dance dateless."

"Who said I was going?"

"You're going. Now ask her," Rod said. I shook my head.

"She might not even be home," I said. I took the phone and put it back. Rod rolled his eyes.

"You're impossible, you know that?" he said before going to his room.

I shrugged it off and turned on the TV. Dammit, _Drake and Josh _was on. I used to love watching this show, but every time I see it now, I can't help remembering. Yeah, Kendi thinks I forget but I don't. I just don't want to ruin the show by thinking about how my dad and Kendi met. It's not pleasant.

After a few moments of watching _Drake and Josh_, I couldn't stand it. I looked over at the phone. Maybe, just maybe…

I shut the TV off and went to the phone. Did I really want to? I picked up the phone and dialed the Curtises' number. I hoped I wouldn't have to talk to Kendi's dad or anything.

Kendi picked up the phone.

"Hello?" she said.

"Uh, hey. It's Cameron," I said uneasily.

"Oh, hi," she said. Say it, dammit. Just say it, Cam, and get on with your miserable life.

"Would you like to go to the winter dance with me?"

* * *

**A/N: Well, the answer must seem obvious. At least, I hope it is. And the thing with Rodney forcing Cam to ask Kendi? Yeah, someone had to conk the guy in the head. And we all know Cam was going to ask Kendi at some point, right? Well, I know this chapter was short but the next one is gonna be long. Unless I change my mind or something like that. Review please if you read this at all!**


	29. Dance, Dance to Disaster

**Chapter Twenty Nine- Dance, Dance to Disaster**

**A/N: This chapter is in two parts. The first part is "Dance, Dance" and the second is called "Disaster." You'll figure out which is which, I'm sure (Probably because I've labeled them). Anyways, hopefully none of you will flame me too much by the end of this. **

**Cameron: Uhhhh… why would they flame you?  
RockerLane1110: You'll just have to find out.  
Kendi: That doesn't sound good.**

Disclaimer: I don't own S.E. Hinton's "The Outsiders" or Fall Out Boy's "Dance, Dance." But, man, if I did…

* * *

Dance, Dance

**Maya's POV**

Finally, the winter dance is here. And for once, I have a freakin' date! Guess who it is. C'mon, guess. (Roxie does this to me all the time.)

Unfortunately, us being fourteen doesn't allow us to be able to drive anywhere, or pay for a limo. So I'm meeting him at the actual dance. Romantic, huh? So have you figured out who he is yet? Oh, c'mon!

Well, here I am at the dance looking for my date. This is ridiculous. He said _he'd _meet _me_. Not the other way around. Maybe I should just stop complaining.

Oh, he's here now. I'm done bitching.

"Hey," he said. "I didn't mean to be late, but…"

"It's okay, Saban," I said. Hey, he showed up, didn't he?

Roxie showed up with Rawley (Who _didn't _see that coming?).

I saw Jarod and Zonks without dates. Their excuse:

"Girls are too confusing."

Yeah, right.

Finally, Cameron and Kendi showed up. Well, it's about time, Cam! I practically screamed when I found out that he asked Kendi. We all knew it was bound to happen. Kendi was even about to ask Cam herself.

Okay, this isn't prom night or anything. It's just a dance. A normal, average, ain't nothing special about it dance. So neither my friends nor me wore fancy silk dresses or flowy long skirts or anything. The complete opposite in fact. Kendi was wearing jeans with chains on them and her black MCR hoodie. Her nails were painted black.

Roxie, being the insane Roxie we all have come to know, wore a jean skirt, fishnet stockings, black Converse shoes, and a black t-shirt. Her hair was in a simple ponytail. Oh, and did I mention her Tripp sleeves?

The guys wore black too. Cam's dyed-black hair was fading so now there were streaks of his original blond coming out. Cam said he might re-dye it. I think it looks cool with the two-tone colors. He was wearing baggy black pants and a white shirt. Jarod was in a black t-shirt and jeans. Zonks was in a gray t-shirt and chained black jeans. My date, Saban, wore an Avenged Sevenfold shirt and jeans (surprise, surprise).

I felt really weird since I was wearing a yellow shirt that said, "Later," on it with faded jeans. I was like a lemonhead among black licorice. Boy, did I stand out. I'm not really Gothic or punk like the guys were and I wasn't Emo like Roxie and Kendi were. I was just… Maya. Just Maya Blackheart. I don't really want to be in any group.

**Roxie's POV**

Wheeeee! I'm at the dance with Rawley! And they're playing Fall Out Boy!

_"She says she's no good  
With words but I'm worse  
__Barely stuttered out,  
'__A joke of a romantic,' or just stuck to my tongue  
Weighed down with words too over-dramatic  
Tonight it's, 'it can't get much worse' vs.  
'__no one should ever feel like…'"_

"Like, oh my God, guys! It's Fall Out Boy!" I said in my mock preppy voice. It's a joke between my friends and me. Fall Out Boy has so many preppy girly fans that you couldn't really consider it hardcore. It's funny.

"Oh my God! They're so hot!" Kendi mocked too.

"Like, oh my God, this is the best song, _ever!_" Maya mocked too. We all ended up in a laughing fit. Mocking preps is fun!

The guys seemed to think we were high.

"Are you guys okay?" Saban asked.

"Yes, we're just fine!" Maya said to her date.

"Roxie, did you go to the dentist by any chance and had laughing gas?" Rawley asked. I laughed harder and I couldn't even answer.

"Do I have to call the asylum?" Jarod said.

"YES!" Kendi answered. We spent a few more moments laughing for no apparent reason.

When we finally calmed down, Maya said, "Were you guys saying something?"

"Uhh... yeah. You guys wanna get something at the snack table?" Camel said.

"Sure," Kendi said.

"Nah, we'll just stay here," I said. Hey, I was having too much fun. Rawley hung out with me and we started making up some crazy dance moves to the song. Saban and Maya were at the wall talking. Jarod and Zonks have gone to who cares where. I was having fun. 

_"I'm two quarters and a heart  
And I don't want to forget how your voice sounds   
These words are all I have so I'll write them   
So you need them just to get by…" _

Yeah, bitches!

**Kendi's POV**

Cameron poured me a cup of fruit punch. I knew I could get it but it was nice how he got it for me. I'm pretty sure Rawley and Roxie will need some punch when they're done dancing. They were moving so fast.

_ "Dance, Dance  
We're falling apart to halftime   
Dance, Dance   
And these are the lives you'd love to lead   
Dance this is the way they'd love   
If they knew how misery loved me…"_

If they knew how misery loved me. Yeah, if they knew. If they knew, I'd have a one-way ticket to crazy world.

"I LOVE this song! Don't you Kapri?"

"I know! That bass player is soooooo hot!" Oh, boy. Another encounter with the preppy twins. I can't wait.

"Don't look now, but here come Valencia and Kapri," I said to Cameron. "Oh no," Cameron said as he rolled his eyes. I think he likes Kapri and Valencia as much as Maya likes Hilary Duff. Not at all. 

"Hey, Cami!" they both said in unison. Cam had his back turned to them and I could see the disgusted look on his face. Sometimes, I just wonder why he really can't stand the name. He always made some kind of big deal about it. He didn't always have to make a face.

"Hey," he said sourly but politely. "Go away please," I heard him whisper under his breath.

"You know, you shouldn't be hanging out with _that_," Kapri said indicating me, "Unless you want people to think that she was your date." I was about to remark something to this but Cam beat me to it.

"She _is_ my date," he said sternly. Both Kapri and Valencia looked at me in shock. Then to Cam. Then back to me.

"Yeah, I am. Surprised?" I said knowing that this was pissing them off.

"What?" Valencia said. Then she gave me a dirty look. "What the hell did you blackmail Cam with?" Cam looked almost as shocked as I did. She was accusing me of tricking Cam? Last time I checked, he asked me.

"He asked me, Valencia," I said as calmly as I possibly could.

"Cam, we'll get you away from her," Kapri said grabbing one of Cam's arms.

"What are you talking about?" I said grabbing hold of Cam's other arm for a reason I cannot name.

"Uh, guys…" Cam started to say.

"Just because you can't get your own date doesn't mean you have to steal ours," Valencia said as she grabbed hold of Cam's arm with Kapri. Is it just me, or did that sound really weird?

"Hold up a sec…"

"Hey, what are you bitches doing with Camel?" Roxie said as she came up to us.

"Yeah, let him go," Maya said.

"No!" the girls screeched. They tugged on Cam.

"Ow!" he said. I tried to pull him back on my side. Bad, bad move. What happened after was that Roxie and Maya came to my side, and Valencia and Kapri were pulling on their side.

I just started a tug of war with Cam as our rope.

**Cameron's POV**

"Guys, my arms don't stretch that far!" I yelled trying to get their attention. I had Kendi, Maya, and Roxie pulling on one of my arms, and Valencia and Kapri pulling on my other. Yeah, two groups of girls fighting over me. Not as glamorous as you may think.

"Let go of him!" Roxie yelled. Yes, let go of me! Please before my arms snap!

"Guys maybe we should let go," Kendi said to her friends.

"And give in to them? No way!" Roxie answered.

"Are you okay, Cam?" Maya asked as she also tugged.

"Oh yeah," I said sarcastically, "I love having my arms pulled at the side by maniac girls!"

"Hey, one of these maniac girls is your date!" Kendi said.

"Guys, just let go!" I yelled again.

"Having fun, Cam?" I heard a voice say. Jarod was snickering at this.

"Uh, if you're supposed to be my friend, why aren't you doing anything?" I said.

"And get between those girls? Sorry, but when girls fight, they really fight!" Jarod said.

"Guys, let him go already!" Rawley called. It didn't work. They still kept tugging. I think I've dislocated my shoulder by now.

"Cam, there's a spider on your arm!" Roxie yelled suddenly.

"Eeeww!" Valencia and Kapri said as they immediately let go of me. Unfortunately, they were tugging so hard that when they let go, we all fell back.

_CRASH!_ A few seconds later, we landed on the snack table. Roxie was covered up in Skittles packets, Maya was covered up in popcorn, Kendi was hidden underneath some Cheetos, and I ended up in a sorry mess of fruit punch all over me. Now my t-shirt has gone from white to red in ten seconds. That wasn't the first thing on my mind, though.

"Roxie, is there seriously a spider on my arm!" I shouted. Roxie smirked at me from under the Skittles.

"Nope. I just said that so Valencia and Kapri would stop holding on so tight! It worked, didn't it?" she said.

A random pink-haired girl passed us by and stared at us in confusion. "Okay, you guys are strange." **(MIMI!)**

"Great," I said. I've got my arms back in place but now I'm a soggy mess and I've been told that I'm strange. Some dance, huh?

_"Dance, dance!  
Dance, dance!  
Dance, dance!__  
Dance, dance!"_

Disaster

**Dan's POV**

I saw Cam and Rodney come back from their dance. Jim had brought them. They came through the door loud and laughing.

"Shhh… quiet, you guys. Dad's sleeping," I said.

"Ah, he's always sleeping. He never wakes up," Rod said jokingly. I couldn't help but laugh too. He was right. Then I noticed Cam's shirt. It was supposed to be white but now it was all bright red. As if something spilled on him.

"Cam, what happened to you?" I asked. I was worried that he might've gotten into another fight and landed in the punch bowl or something.

"Uhhh…" he started as he always did when asked a question.

"A bunch of girls were fighting over him," Rod said. He made this sound serious, but I wasn't too sure.

"Cam, what happened?" I said again.

"Just as Rod said. Kendi and her friends were having some kind of tug of war with me against these other girls," Cam said a little annoyed.

I don't know what it is, but Cam has been really distant with me lately. It wasn't always like this. Even after Mom died, we got along okay. Rod was always able to pull us together. But… I don't know. Now, Cam always shuts me out of his life. He's angrier but for some reason he hides it from us. I'm worried that he might be severely depressed or something in that sense. I can't understand what's going on if he doesn't tell me. Rod is usually the one who tells me about Cam.

Maybe it's my fault.

Maybe it's because I didn't look out for him enough when Dad came around. Maybe it's because I wasn't there when Dad first hit him at eight years old. Maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on him that night when he came home late from the movies. Why did I hit him? Was I really that angry? I didn't mean to… Oh God, I'm using the same words that I yelled at Cam for saying! Man, sometimes being a big brother hurts.

_Flashback_

I just came home from football practice. Dad was still at work. Rod's band was playing downstairs. I assumed that Cam was somewhere in the dining room doing his homework.

"I'm home!" I said even though there would be no one to hear me. As usual, all I got in response was the roaring of guitars and thumping of the drums from downstairs.

I went into the dining room and set my backpack down. That's when I realized that Cam wasn't there. _He must've already finished. _I thought. He was probably upstairs playing on his acoustic writing some other song or whatever. Rod and him take turns with the basement for their band rehearsals.

I pulled out my textbooks to start my homework, but after looking at the problems I had to do for math, I said out loud, "I can do homework later." So I went to the family room to watch TV. That's when I noticed that I didn't hear the plucking of guitar strings from upstairs. Even if Rod's band was playing at maximum volume, somehow I'd still be able to hear Cam's playing. Something seemed weird.

My first intention was to go upstairs and check on him in his room, but a feeling in my gut brought me to the living room. That's where I found Cam. He was holding a bottle of aspirins and a written note was on the coffee table in front of him. The first lines read:

_To my friends and family,  
I'm sorry, but I can't do this anymore._

"Cameron!" I yelled. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. My own brother was about to take his life.

Cam didn't look at me. He just clutched the bottle as if it would kill him if he didn't. Ironic, huh? I snatched it away from him and blew up.

"Cam, what are you thinking? Is this how you want to go? Do you really want to leave us like this? Don't you care? What's the matter with you? Why would you want to die when we're all still here for you? Why?" I wanted to keep talking but I decided to let Cam answer.

He looked at me angrily and said, "I'd rather die than deal with you and Dad!" This took me back. My youngest brother, thirteen-years-old, and already sick of life.

"Cam, what's going on?" I asked. He has yet to answer my question.

_End Flashback_

You know, one of my biggest nightmares was that my brothers and I would have to get separated if they ever found out about Dad's drinking problem.

**Cameron's POV**

"You guys down there better start cleaning up 'cause it's nearly seven!" Dan called out to us. Sheesh, you'd think after winter break he'd loosen up a little and let us play longer. It's January now. How did winter break pass us by so fast? One minute, I'm celebrating Christmas with my brothers, and my dad (who was drunk for most of it anyways), opening presents eating candy canes, knocking down our mini x-mas tree, and then the next, we're back at school.

"Well, I guess we better pack up now," I said. The rest of the band groaned a little but we eventually got everything cleaned up.

This rehearsal was specifically with the band. Rawley was sick today and couldn't come. Maya had to stay for extra help in Algebra AND Spanish. Roxie had a dentist appointment in which she complained to us about all day, and I mean all day. Hope the dentist has extra laughing gas to calm her down.

"Kendi, you getting a ride with your dad?" Saban asked before leaving. His mom was picking him up. Jarod already left and Zonks was getting a ride with Saban.

"Yeah, my dad's coming," Kendi said.

"Well, we could give you a ride if you want," Saban said.

"No thanks."

"C'mon, Saban, leave Cam alone with his girl," Zonks said. What Zonks said wasn't completely true. Kendi and I still weren't going out. Never have I been so angry for being in the "friend zone." Trust me, I've asked. But all I ended up with was a, "I don't really want a boyfriend right now." So, I'm just waiting until she's ready. I'm still waiting.

After everyone left, Kendi and I plopped ourselves down on the couch in front of the TV as we always did when she waited for her dad. Mr. Curtis seems to like me a little more after Thanksgiving, which definitely helps. He's more trusting of Kendi staying over at my house.

"Hey, Cam," Dan said to me.

"Yeah?" I said. Kendi and I were watching another CSI episode. It was Kendi's choice.

"I need to go do an errand for Mrs. Bailey. It'll only be fifteen or twenty minutes. You mind if I leave you here with Kendi?"

"Nope. We'll be fine," I said.

At least Dan could trust me being with Kendi. It's not like anything could really happen.

Dan left and I heard his car start. I think Rod's at some party with his friends. Leave it to Rod to party on a Thursday night.

I heard a grumble from upstairs. Oh shit, he can't be awake now…

**Kendi's POV**

I could hear the grumbling coming from upstairs. It was getting louder. Cam seemed to be getting nervous. For some reason, I was calm. Really calm. Really, really calm. You got the point, right?

Anyways, I decided to ignore the grumbling. Maybe, Cam's dad won't come down.

"You thirsty?" Cam asked me. I think he was trying to ignore his dad.

"Sure," I said. My throat was really dry at the moment.

We both got up and Cam led me to the kitchen. There was a bottle of beer on the table. It was half-empty. Cam squirmed at the sight of it. He didn't like his father's drinking. I didn't like it that much either because of what it was doing to Cam and his brothers. In a way it was pulling them together but it was also driving them apart.

Cam handed me a can of Coke and he got one for himself. We were about to go back to the TV room when we saw Mr. Talon at the entrance of the kitchen. And he didn't look that happy.

"So you thought you could sneak your little girlfriend here while your brother was away, eh?" he said. I froze.

"Dad, she's just here waiting to get picked up," Cam said not looking his dad in the eye.

"What'd you say? Speak up, boy!"

"Dad, not now," Cam begged. I could tell he didn't want another fight. Maybe he was sick of fighting.

"What do you mean not now? Oh, I see. You don't want to let your girl know that you've got a bum for a dad is it? Is that what you think of me? A bum? Well, let me tell you, you won't be any different." Well, that's just nice to say to your kid.

"Dad, just stop," Cam said not even trying to hide the hurt in his voice.

"What? Telling you the truth? You make everyone think you're a rebel with all that punk music and your black clothes. But you're just a sad little kid underneath it all. Don't you think everyone's figured that out by now? That's' why no one cares a bout you! You got no guts!" Cam started to get angry.

"That's not true, Dad," he said with confidence.

"Oh? So name someone who cares. Your brothers don't give a damn. You've been holding them back. Dan can't get into a college 'cause he has to feed you and Rod has to work after school instead of playing in his band so he can help with the bills."

"Dad, shut up already!" Cam shouted.

"Hey, don't be shouting at me. You know, Dan should've just let you kill yourself that day. We'd be happier."

Wait, what did Cam's dad just say?

**Cameron's POV**

I can't believe Dad said that. My own father just told me he'd be happier if I was gone.

He's drunk. That's why he's saying those things. It's the alcohol talking. Not my dad. My dad doesn't have any control because of the alcohol. He doesn't know what's going on.

"Cam, what is he talking about?" Kendi said to me. She was talking about my attempted suicide.

"This kid hasn't told you yet? Last year, Dan caught him with a bottle of aspirin and a suicide note. This boy had a one way ticket t' death but Dan took it away from him."

"That's because he cared," I said. I have never said those words out loud before. And boy, did they sound true.

"Yeah, right. Danny just didn't want a dead body in the house, that's all," Dad said. I couldn't remember the last time someone called my brother, "Danny." I used to call him that, before we grew up. Before the fights between us started. Before I became detached from him. Before everything fell apart. Why does that feel so long ago?

Kendi had been listening the whole time and I hated myself for letting her. She didn't need to hear this. She didn't need to know about parents who truly didn't care. She had her own parents. Good parents. Ones that would never tell her that she ought to die. Parents who really did love her. They'd still care no matter what. Man, I'm jealous of her for that.

"Dad, leave us alone," I said.

"And why should I?"

"You're being a pain in the ass."

"What did you say? You shouldn't be cursing at your father like that."

"Like hell I can't. You swear more than a rap album." Dad was getting angry with me. I give him thirty seconds before he pounds me.

"You're going to regret saying that," he said.

"Why would I regret telling the truth? You don't seem to be sorry for it." That set him off. Dad went in for the punch. I dodged it. Kendi started backing away.

"Cam, maybe we should call for help," she said.

"No, don't!" I said. But while I was talking to her, Dad hit me in the back of my head. I turned to push him back. We were fighting once again.

"CAM!" Kendi yelled. I forgot that she wasn't used to seeing me fight my dad. Why wasn't I stopping? Oh, yeah. There's no one _to _stop me. Both Rod and Dan were somewhere else and I couldn't expect Kendi to hold me back.

So we just kept fighting, verbally and physically. That is, until Dad did something I didn't expect. He picked up the bottle from the table. And smashed it on my head. I hit the floor. My vision was filled with blotches of red. And soon pitch black.

**Kendi's POV**

I almost screamed. Cam was on the floor, his head bleeding. And his father holding the broken, blood-soaked bottle. He looked shocked at what he had done.

"I didn't… I wasn't going to… It wasn't on purpose…" I couldn't understand him. He was slurring his words too much. Even if he wasn't, I wouldn't be able to understand because of how shocked I was. I knelt down to see if Cam was still breathing. He was.

"Cam, wake up," I said. He didn't. "Cam, please, just wake up. Get up. Don't…" I almost said, "die." But Cam couldn't die. Not right now, he couldn't.

"What happened here?" Dan yelled. He saw the pieces of the bottle strewn across the kitchen floor. Then he saw Mr. Talon with the broken bottle. Then he saw his brother. Cam's dad still stood there dumbfounded. I tried to tell Dan what had happened.

"They… I… He… fell down… passed out… breathing…" I sounded stupid. I felt bad for not telling Dan. I had my hand on Cameron's neck to check for his pulse (Thankfully, he had one). Dan just looked at his brother on the floor, shocked.

"Dan, I'm so sorry," I said. Dan didn't answer.

"Call 911. Now." I got up and dialed 911 as fast as I could. I hope the ambulance gets here soon.

* * *

**A/N: Damn. That had to be one of the hardest chapters to write. Here comes the worst part: I may be losing the Internet on May 31 so I may not be able to update for a while. A long while. I'm am sooooooooooooo sorry! I'll find some way to update! I promise! Anyways, R&R.**

**Kendi: Cam, don't leave…**


	30. Familiar Faces and Moving Places

**Chapter Thirty- Familiar Faces and Moving Places**

**A/N: Okay, my dad renewed our net so I can still update. I guess I'm here to stay! You know, I was surprised when Ranmayuusuke930 was the only one who said, "DAMN YOU!" I swear, I thought a bunch of people would be cussing me out for what I did to Cam. Oh, well. Some really familiar faces are going to be here and I don't mean the regular STLO crew. You'll know what I mean when you read it.**

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Outsiders" or Paramore's "All We Know." PARAMORE KICKS ASS!

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**Cameron's POV**

By the time I gained consciousness, my head was throbbing. I almost thought it would explode. I groaned a little. The pain from it was almost too much to bear.

"Hey, you all right?" said an unfamiliar voice.

I opened my eyes. Where the hell was I? The room was bright white and I immediately knew I wasn't at my house. My mind was totally blank. What happened?

That's when it all came back to me. Memories flooding in like a tsunami. Dad cutting me down and throwing insults. Kendi, worried and afraid and helpless to do anything. And the bottle smashing on my head, its contents drenching me with the smell of alcohol and dirt. Blotches of red. Then blackout. Did this mean I was in heaven?

"Hey, man, are you okay?" the unfamiliar voice said again. I finally saw who was talking.

He looked to still be in college, about nineteen or so. He had brown hair and fair skin. On his name tag read:

_Gordon Coley__  
Intern_

Gordon Coley. Somehow, I knew this should mean something. My head was too jumbled, though.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I managed to get out. I wasn't fine. I was far from fine. "Where am I?"

"You're in a hospital, Cameron," he said. Oh. I was in a hospital and they were letting the intern look after me.

"How do you know my name?"

"It said so on your report. Cameron Talon." He paused for a moment. "Did your dad really smash a bottle on your head?" I knew this question would be coming sooner or later.

"Yeah, but I'd rather not go into details."

"Fair enough."

I laid there examining my surroundings. The digital clock next to me said it was 9:48 A.M. My friends would be at school by now. Rod would be at school fooling around during class. Dan would be at work fixing a faulty brake. I wonder what happened last night.

"Hey, uh, Mr. Coley, what went on last night?" I said. The guy looked at me.

"I'm only nineteen, so you can just call me Gordon. And I think someone called the ambulance. They said it was a girl but we haven't been told any names. Your brothers were here. The oldest one was worried sick about you. The other one didn't say too much. I guess he was worried too."

"What about my dad?" I said. Gordon was silent for a moment.

"I think the police took him. I don't know all the details. There was something about child endangerment, though." The police? Was my dad going to jail? If he did, where would Dan, Rod, and I go?

"I'm sure they'll let you stay in a foster home if anything happens to your dad," Gordon said as if he was reading my thoughts.

"Oh," I said.

"Ever been in one?" Gordon asked.

"My friend has," I said remembering Kendi.

"Really?"

"Yeah, she's adopted now."

"That's good. Oh, yeah. Your brother, Rodney I think his name was, dropped off your CDs and CD player. You know, my younger brother, Demitri, is into this rock music too."

"Oh? How old's your brother?"

"About your age. Fourteen. I think he might be coming so maybe I'll introduce you two," Gordon said. I wondered about my other friends.

"Would my friends be able to visit?" I asked.

"Sure they can." That was good. At least I'll be able to see Rawley and to explain everything to Jarod, Zonks, and Saban. And to find out if Kendi's okay.

Gordon handed me my music and I drowned myself in the songs of Paramore. Kendi had burned me a copy of their CD.

" '_Cause all we know  
Is falling, it falls!  
Remember_  
'_Cause I know that we won't  
Forget  
At all!"_

**Ponyboy's POV**

Oy. Last night was eventful. I just came to pick up Kendi from Cameron's house and when I got there, police cars and an ambulance surrounded it.

"This is a closed area sir," the officer said when I got out of the car.

"I need to pick up my daughter," I said.

"One minute. I think she is being questioned at the moment."

"What?"

"A boy has been injured, sir," the officer said.

"Who?"

"We are not at liberty to say."

"When I finally saw Kendi, she was as white as a ghost.

"What happened, Kendi?" I asked.

"Kendi simply looked to me and said, "Cam's hurt, Dad."

Kendi couldn't say anything more than that, and I didn't want to force her to. It had been a rough night.

This morning, Kendi didn't look any better. She could barely eat.

"Pony, I don't think we should make Kendi go to school today. It wouldn't be healthy," Cherry told me. I knew what she meant. Too many people would be asking about what had happened. I couldn't put Kendi through all of that.

"Kendi, your father and I think you should stay home from school today," Cherry said to Kendi.

"Okay," she said. "Can I still visit Cam at the hospital?"

"Of course," I said. Cam was going to need his friends. He would need his brothers too.

The memory of Johnny at the hospital entered my mind uninvited. It's going to be a long day.

**Rawley's POV**

The car was silent as Dan drove us to the hospital. Dan had gotten off work early and Rodney took a day off. Dan picked us up after school. Jarod, Saban, Maya, Zonks, Roxie, and I all came. Kendi wasn't at school today.

"I hope he's all right," Maya had said.

"Do you think Kendi'll still come to visit Cam?" Roxie said.

"She has to," Maya answered.

Why did the trip to the hospital seem so long?

**Kendi's POV**

Mom brought me to the hospital at around 2:15. Everyone else was at school still.

Mom said that she could come with me to Cameron's room at the hospital. I told her I wanted to go alone. Mom seemed okay with it and she let me walk down the hall to where Cameron was staying on my own. Mom needed to do some grocery shopping and she said she'd pick me up later.

As I was walking down the halls, someone was calling my name.

"Kendi!" he said. I didn't turn around. What if it was someone from school wanting to know about Cam? I didn't want to deal with that right now.

"Kendi!" he called again. The voice was vaguely familiar but I still didn't bother turning around.

"Kendi! Is that you? It's me, Demitri!" This got me to stop walking. Demitri?

I turned around and saw a brown-haired kid with brown eyes. He was dressed in a Black Sabbath shirt and jeans. He looked older now and more mature than he did four years ago.

"Demitri!" I cried out. Then I immediately wrapped him in a hug. Hey, I haven't seen the guy in four years.

"What are you doing here, Kendi?" he said after recovering from my hug.

"I'm looking for my friend who's staying here," I said. It felt weird saying that.

"What's his name? My brother's got an internship here so maybe we can go and ask him," Demitri said. I was eager to see Gordon too.

"His name is Cameron Talon. Where's Gordon?" I said. Demitri didn't answer for a second.

"Was he the guy who got a bottle smashed on his head by his dad?" Demitri asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Gordon's with him right now."

**Gordon's POV**

Cameron talked to me when he wasn't listening to his music. He told me about his older brothers, his friends, and about his band.

"It used to be just us guys playing in it, but then this year we got another lead singer. Her name's Kendi." At the name, "Kendi," my mouth dropped. Could this be…?

"Kendi you said her name was?" I said.

"Yeah." I remembered Dana. Kendi's older sister. Not biologically, but still. Did Kendi remember anything of what had happened?

"Did she ever mention the name, 'Dana'?" I asked. Cameron thought for a moment.

"Actually, she has." Cameron still kept thinking. It looked like he had realized something when he said, "You're Gordon, aren't you? The one who told Chris off that one night, right?" He knew.

"Yeah," I said. "Is Kendi still… sad about Dana and her… you know… suicide?" I still haven't fully moved on from Dana's death. I still blame myself. I should've told Ms. Coley before it got so far. Ms. Coley told me not to take so much responsibility but I can't help it.

"Yeah, she is. More than you think," Cameron said solemnly. What did that mean? Was Kendi…?

"What do you mean?" Cam looked surprised when I asked this.

"Um, nothing. I meant that she still thinks of her and all that." I knew there was more but I didn't want to force info out of a kid who's lived with an abusive father.

A nurse came in.

"Cam, you have a visitor. Gordon, you're little brother's here."

Demitri came into the room with a dark blond-haired girl. She was still the small, blue-eyed Kendi I remembered. Her eyes widened when she saw me.

"Gordon!" she said as she ran up to hug me. Demitri just stood there like he always did. He never got over his shyness.

"Nice to see you guys reunited," Cameron said from his hospital bed. When Kendi saw Cameron, she immediately went to hug him.

"Thank God, you're still alive!" Cameron hugged her back.

"Yeah, I'm alive. You think I'd let a broken bottle on my head take me away?"

Kendi's sleeve pulled up a little, and I saw cuts and scars on her. I didn't know what to do so I looked the other way.

Kendi was just like Dana.

**Cameron's POV**

I was glad to see that Kendi was okay. But what was she doing here at 2:20? School wasn't over yet.

"What are you doing here so early?" I asked.

"Dad let me stay home from school today. He didn't think I was healthy in, you know, here," Kendi said as she pointed to her skull. We both laughed at this. Gordon gave a slight smile to us.

Gordon's little brother, Demitri (yes, I do remember what Gordon said his name was), seemed left out.

"Hey, Demitri, you can come and join us," Kendi said. She took a seat on a chair next to me. Demitri sat in another chair next to Kendi.

"You know, if Dan let me stay home sick because of that, I'd have missed the whole school year," I said continuing on what Kendi remarked before.

"Yeah," Kendi said. It was silent for a few moments.

"So, how do you guys know each other?" Demitri asked. More silence. Such a deep conversation, ain't it?

"We're in a band together," Kendi said finally.

"Oh." It all went silent, yet again. Geez, you could hear a friggin' pin drop!

"What's with all this silence?" I yelled. Demitri and Kendi looked at me.

"I don't know. I guess… under the circumstances… we just don't know what to say," Kendi said. So just because my head's in fifty million pieces, we can't hold up a decent conversation?

The world is messed up.

**Rawley's POV**

At 3:15, we reached the hospital. Silently, we stepped out of the car. Even Roxie was quiet.

"You guys going to be okay?" Dan asked us. Rod answered him.

"We're fine, Dan. Just a little shook up, that's all." Yeah. We're shook up all right. I mean, it's not every day that you're best friend gets thumped in the head with a beer bottle. Was he even okay? Some people at school were spreading rumors that Cam had died, but Dan said that Cam only passed out from the blood loss. And people wonder why I hate rumors.

Maybe this is my fault. I was, in fact, the first to even know about Cam's dad hitting him. I was nine, and Cam was eight. I lived across the street from the Talons at the time and Cam was just kicked out of his house.

_Flashback_

The doorbell rang.

"Rawley, can you get that for me?" my mom said as she was washing dishes. I was watching some cartoon show on the TV and I didn't like having to go answer the door. But I did anyways.

And who should I see standing on our front porch other than Cameron. But he didn't look like himself. Maybe it was the fact that he was crying a little.

"Cam, what happened?" I asked. There were a few scratches on his face, as if he'd hit the sidewalk or something.

"My dad. He's crazy. He was just drinking a lot of this stuff and then he was talking but I couldn't understand him. Then he got mad and hit me. Then he told me to leave and threw me out!" Cam said between tears. I'd never seen him cry like that before. Not even at his mom's funeral.

"Cameron! What's going on? Why are you crying?" my mom said as she came to the front door. Cameron bawled out his story.

"Oh, you poor baby," Mom said as she led Cam inside. Dad came downstairs when he heard all the noise.

"What happened here?" he said. Then he saw Cam. "What's going on?"

"Cameron's dad threw him out," Mom said. There was anger in her voice. She gave Cam an ice pack for the bump on his head.

"Where are your brothers, Cameron?" Dad said gently.

"Rod's at a friend's house and Dan went to some party," Cam said.

"Do you have a number to reach them?" cam gave Rod's friend's number and the number to Dan's cell. Dad called to let them know that Cam would be staying with us. He didn't explain why, though.

Cam and I sat in front of the TV.

"Why did your dad hit you, Cam?" I asked.

"I don't know. He just did. I think I made him angry. He said that Mom died because I was in the car," Cam said.

"That's not true! Your mom died because some retard was speeding!" That's what I heard Dan say, anyway.

"Cam, we're going to speak to your dad tomorrow. Rawley, can you stay over at Cam's house with Dan and Rodney?" Dad told us.

"Okay," I said without looking away from the TV.

The next day, while I was over at the Talons', I heard a fire truck come. That's when we saw the fire. My house was one fire!

"What the hell?" Dan said as he ran out the door. We followed him. Cam's dad came out with a fireman. He was coughing and was covered in soot. I didn't see my parents.

"Where are my parents?" I said.

"What happened here?" Dan asked.

"They think some kind of cigarette started this fire but we don't know for sure." I didn't know that a cigarette could start a whole fire.

"Where are my parents?" I asked again.

"We're trying to put the fire out as fast as we can."

"Where are my parents?"

"We haven't been able to find any other person other than Mr. Talon."

"WHERE ARE MY PARENTS?" I yelled so the fireman could hear me. No one answered.

_End Flashback_ **(I know. It was a fucked up flashback.)**

I know what happened to them now. And I know why Mr. Talon quit smoking after the house fire.

**Zonks's POV**

It was about time when we got to Cam's room. I was dying to find out if he was okay. Hey, I've known the guy since grade school and trust me, he's never mentioned a word about his dad being a drunk. An abusive drunk at that. Why'd he keep it a secret?

When we got there, Kendi was already at his side. Along with this kid I've never seen before.

"Hey, Cam," I said.

"Hey."

"Kendi, when'd you get here?" Saban asked.

"About an hour ago."

"Why weren't you at school?" Maya said.

"Dad didn't want me to go because of last night."

"He thought you were traumatized or something?" Roxie said.

"Yeah, I guess. I didn't want to come anyways." I couldn't blame her. Almost everyone was talking about her at school, almost as much as they were talking about Cam. Some even said that she moved but we all knew that wasn't true. Notice these were the same people who said that Cam was dead.

"So, how's everything, Cam?" Rawley said casually.

"Good," Cam said. There was an attendant in the room.

"Oh yeah, this is Demitri, Kendi's friend," Cam said pointing to the kid next to Kendi.

"Kendi's friend?" Saban said.

"You're Demitri?" Maya said.

"Kendi told us about you!" Roxie said.

"And this is Gordon, the guy who has to take care of me while I'm here," Cam said pointing to the attendant.

"Kendi told us about you too!" Maya and Roxie said. What the hell were they talking about?

"It's a long story," Kendi said.

"Tell us later," Jarod said sourly. He hadn't been in a good mood since he'd heard about Cam. He was pissed.

"Something wrong you guys? I know I'm kind of injured at the moment, but you guys look like I actually died," Cam said. Something wrong? Something wrong he asks? Uh, how about the fact that you never told us that you're dad was being a bastard to you? How about the fact that you kept us in the dark all these years? How about the fact that we were one of the last to know about what happened to you? We heard from Valencia and frikkin' Kapri for cripes sake! I don't get mad at anyone this much, especially not at Cam. But this… I don't know. He was trying to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal but we all know that's a lie.

Cam looked at the calendar. He seemed to have realized something when he said, "Oh, sorry, Jarod. Happy birthday. I didn't mean to forget."

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Thanks," Jarod said. _Jarod_ didn't even remember it was his fifteenth birthday let alone the rest of us.

"I'd give you birthday punches but I'm still stuck here so I guess Saban and Zonks better do a good job." We forgot about birthday punches. It was practically a tradition with us. But I guess all traditions get broken at some point.

"Uh, yeah," I said. I didn't know what to say. At least, I didn't know what to say without getting pissed off. So Jarod spoke.

"What the hell, Cam? Why did you keep this from us? Why didn't you tell us? We've been friends since second grade so what the hell? Were you just going to let your faggot of a father do this to you until you got to college? Why?" None of us said anything. Jarod pretty much said everything we were trying to shut up about.

Cam lay there speechless. Then he said, "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Jarod spat. "Why the hell don't you know?"

"No one wants to talk about their problems anymore," Demitri said quietly. I don't know if he was answering Jarod or just talking to the air. Either way, what he said was true.

As silence filled the room, we heard some kind of argument coming from outside. I recognized Dan's voice.

"You can't do that!"

**Dan's POV**

"Dan, I'm sorry, but it's for Cameron's safety and for Rodney's," the social worker said to me. She introduced herself as Ms. Crystal. And she was telling me that Cam and Rod might have to go into foster homes.

"I'm eighteen, I can take care of them!" I said. There was no way I would let our family get separated. That was the point of keeping Dad's problem a secret.

"Dan, we don't know if that's possible. Cameron and Rodney still have to stay somewhere. Your father's in jail. Does Cameron even know?" I shook my head. I haven't had the chance to tell him. "Dan, I don't have a choice. Once Cam gets out of the hospital, he and Rodney will be sent to foster homes until everything is straightened out." I hated those words. Despised them even.

"Is there any other way?" I said. Ms. Crystal just looked sympathetically towards me. Everything was crashing down. Dad was in jail. My little brother is in the hospital.

And my family was being separated.

**Pony's POV**

When I got to the hospital, I headed for Cameron's room to pick Kendi up. When I got there, I saw a young man talking to a vaguely familiar woman. She had orange hair and glasses. Then I remembered. She was the social worker who brought Kendi to Cherry and me.

"I can't have my family separated Ms. Crystal. I just can't!" the young man said. He reminded me of Darry with his short brown hair and muscular build.

"What's going on Dan?" a young boy said coming out of a hospital room. He looked like the older version of Cam. Were these his brothers?

"Hello, Ms. Crystal," I said as I passed them by. "Haven't seen you in a while."

"Oh, hello Mr. Curtis. What brings you here?" Ms. Crystal said breaking away from the conversation with the young man.

"Kendi's friends with the boy in this room," I said. "What's going on here?"

"Oh, nothing. Just business."

"You're Kendi's dad?" the young man said.

"Yes."

"I'm Dan. Cameron's older brother. This is Rodney over here. I'm sorry about Kendi being there and all. I didn't think that our dad would…" He didn't finish.

"I see. Well, hopefully Cameron gets better."

"As soon as he gets better, we're not going to be a whole family anymore," Dan said.

"What does that mean?"

"Yeah, Dan, what's up?" Rodney said.

"Cameron and Rodney are going to be in foster homes when Cam gets out." Oh, damn.

"Is there any other choice?" I said. Dan shook his head. If my brothers and I had been separated, I wouldn't have been able to live. I couldn't stand seeing this family be torn apart. I wish there was something I could do. Maybe…

"Ms. Crystal, would it be possible for Dan to be guardian over these boys?" I asked.

"I'm afraid not. There needs to be a lot of paperwork done. Cameron and Rodney would still have to stay somewhere."

"Is it possible if these boys stayed with my family until the paperwork is done and until everything is cleared up?" Dan and Rodney looked in awe of me.

"That can be arranged Mr. Curtis. Would you be willing to let these boys into your home?"

"Of course."

"Are you serious?" Dan said.

"Yes, I am. Just as long as you guys follow the rules at our house."

"We will!" Rodney said with joy. "I'll let Cam know right now!" Then he ran back into the hospital room.

**Cameron's POV**

"Are you kidding me?" I yelled. Rod just told me that we would be staying at the Curtises until we could settle down on our own.

"Nope," Rod said. "I'm serious."

"Cam and Kendi living under the same roof? That could be bad…" Zonks said. Roxie kicked him.

"You have a dirty mind, Zonks!"

"I can't believe you guys are staying at my house. It'll be like having brothers!" Kendi said. Brothers? I don't want to be Kendi's brother. I want to be her frikkin' boyfriend! Kendi, when the hell are you going to be ready?

"What are you murmuring, Cameron?" Demitri asked.

"Uh, nothing." Was I murmuring?

Jarod was still looking at me angrily. I wondered if this was just one of his usual angry fits, or if he was really mad at me this time. I didn't mean to hurt anyone.

But somehow, I managed to hurt one of my best friends.

* * *

**A/N: People, I'm scatterbrained at the moment. That would be why the second half of this chapter went a little off. Sorry about the crappy writing. I promise to do better in the next chapter. Now has everyone heard about that 6-6-06 thing? People say we're gonna die on that day. Yeah, right. On June 7, 2006, we'll all laugh about this and get on with our lives. The world ain't ending yet. Read and review even if you just want to remind me to update or if you wanna flame me. I'll take either.**

**Cameron: I'm still alive!  
Kendi: Thankfully.  
Kapri and Valencia: Why didn't we get to visit Cami?  
RockerLane1110: You guys can't even say his name right. Why should you?  
Jarod: (still pissed. Smoke coming out of ears)  
All: (back away slowly)  
Jarod: These chili peppers really are spicy!**

**Don't ask. I'm still a scatterbrain.**


	31. Things Are Rough All Over

**Chapter Thirty One- Things Are Rough All Over**

**A/N: Every Outsiders fan knows this line from the book. Or at least who said it. If you don't, well… Anyways, you guys all know about Cameron's life at this point, right? So I decided to make a special chapter about the rest of RMC! Hey, I don't put their POVs in this enough for anybody to really know them. Let's see what drives all the other characters in the story.**

Disclaimer: You know what, just refer to previous disclaimers.

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**Jarod's POV**

Damn it. Damn it all to freakin' hell! What's the point in being someone's friend if they're just going to lie to you? What's the point if they don't let you know about their goddamn drunk father? If they don't tell you the truth of why they have a new bruise on them every week? If they think wishing you a goddamn happy birthday would just solve everything? You know what? I don't even care about my goddamn birthday! I don't care that I'm fifteen and that I've got one more year to go before getting a driver's license. It's not like it matters anyhow. My parents barely cared. They just said, "Oh, it's your birthday? Here's your gift," then they handed me twenty dollars. Yeah, that's it. No celebration, no birthday cakes, not even a sincere "Happy birthday!" Just twenty bucks so I would buzz off.

My parents think that because I've become a teenager, I don't want their attention anymore. That I'll live without having someone pressure me into good grades and to behave. So I purposely do badly in school, goof around at an arcade, or go take something from a store just to spite them. Sometimes, I'll even swear at them so they'll take notice. They just tell me not to do those things and that I'd be grounded the next times it happens. I haven't changed my act, but I have yet to be punished. All I get for my actions is just a stupid slap on the wrists.

I left the hospital pissed. Cameron was alive but he still lied for all these years. If his dad wasn't such a faggot, this wouldn't have happened either. That bastard could've killed Cam! Jesus, what else is going on that I don't seem to be aware of?

"How is Cameron, Jarod?" Mom said as I walked through the door. Dan dropped me off. I kicked my snow-covered boots and left them next to the door. Frikkin' floor's gonna be mopped anyways.

"He's alright," I said.

Is he going to be okay?" Dad said without looking up from his newspaper. I wonder if he was just automatically saying that or if he meant it.

"Yeah, he is, Dad," I said mechanically. No one said anything more. We've said all we would for the day.

I got up to my room and plopped my backpack down. On my computer, I saw that I'd gotten e-mail.

_**ProfeshunalKlassKlown wrote:**_

_Dude, are u ok? U seemed pissed at the hospital. Wuts up?_

_Zonks_

_P.S. Happy Birthday. 15 punches comin at ya tomorrow._

Pissed? How pissed was I? I looked back to when I was talking to Cam. Yeah, I was pissed. I didn't mean to be but…

I got another e-mail. This time, it was from Kendi.

_**Shardsofbrokenglass wrote:**_

_Hey, Jarod. Are you mad at Cam? He's a little upset about everything. You guys might need to talk._

_ Kendi_

_P.S. Happy b-day!_

Mad at Cam? I wasn't exactly mad, just… annoyed. What if Cam passed out and never woke up? We'd be left to wonder why he never told us about his dad. We'd never know if he was truly okay or if it was just a mask.

Cam's been our best friend since elementary school and we've become a close group. What affects one of us affects all of us. And not always in a positive way.

**Zonks' POV**

Dan dropped me off at my house. I had to tread through the snow because Dad hadn't shoveled our walkway yet. I know, I know. I should shovel it, but things haven't been too great lately.

When I finally got inside, my mom was doing yoga in front of the TV.

"Hello, Zephyr," Mom said. I hate that name.

"Mom, I've told you. It's Zonks," I said.

Mom knows how much I don't like being called "Zephyr." I made up my nickname, Zonks, just so I wouldn't have to be called it anymore. My friends used to call me Zephyr. Back in third grade when I didn't know any better. Mom doesn't approve of my nickname, though. That's not the only thing that she doesn't approve of.

"Zephyr, why do you insist on playing that awful rock music in your stereo? Doesn't that hurt your ears?"

"No, Mom. I love this music. Why can't you accept it?"

"Because it's the devil's music, that's why."

Hey, I love my mom and all but we just don't see eye to eye when it comes to my music. Dad's no help either. He can't stand the idea of me being in a rock band. He thinks that I'll become a Satanist or something if I'm playing the drums. Whenever I'm practicing in the basement, he always tries to get me to do something other than play rock music.

"Don't you have homework to do, Zeph? Can't you take out the garbage first? Let your sister have a chance to practice now," Dad would say.

My little sister, Azalea (my parents thing of the weirdest names), two years younger than me and she plays the violin. My parents would rather hear classical music on Azalea's violin than alt-rock on my drums. Azalea acts like the perfect child in my family. She listens to classical music, watches the Disney Channel instead of VH1, and never would let the sounds of rock and roll poison her ears. Yeah, right. I've seen the collection of Good Charlotte CDs under her bed and hidden in her bookcase. Azalea's into the "devil's music" as much as I am. I'm just more open about it.

When I got on my computer, I sent Jarod a birthday greeting. After that, I got an e-mail.

_**slackermetalheadA7X wrote:**_

_hey, man. you think cam's gonna be alright? he didn't look so good at the hospital._

I wrote back.

**_From: ProfeshunalKlassKlown  
To: slackermetalheadA7X  
_**

_ he's ok. dan and rod don't seem to good either._

Almost immediately after I sent that message, I got another e-mail.

_**Blackheartedsweetie213 wrote:**_

_Hey, Zonks. Is everything alright? You seemed out of it when we were with cam._

I wrote back.

_**From: ProfeshunalKlassKlown****  
To: Blackheartedsweetie213 **_

_yeah maya. everythings just fine. it's just a little hard to deal with this ya know?**  
**_

_**Blackheartedsweetie wrote:**_

_ya, I do._

I wonder if she really did.

I started playing some Green Day on my stereo. That was a mistake.

"Zephyr, stop playing that awful music!" Mom yelled from downstairs. I usually turn down the volume at this point, but I decided not to. I'll need some loud alt-rock to drown everything out. I don't' really talk about my parents with my friends. None of us talk about our parents. Not unless something happens like Saban's dad leaving or Cam's mom being killed. Other than that, we don't say much. I figure that if we aren't going to talk, we might as well ignore the whole thing altogether. For some reason, this seems hard for my friends so I try to find a way to distract them somehow. Whoever said that laughter is the best medicine is a fucking genius. It's worked every time to help my friends ignore whatever's bugging them. Then we don't have to talk about it.

But that's what ended up getting Cam in the hospital.

**Saban's POV**

I was finally at home. It felt like such a long day. Cam was in the hospital. He was in the hospital for a head injury. Why did it have to be Cam?

"Hey, mom," I said as I walked through the door. She made a small smile in my direction. I did my best to return it. After everything that's happened, even a smile takes too much effort.

My mom's been battling depression ever since my dad left us a few years back when I was ten. Dad left us for some other chick. Mom didn't tell me everything, but I noticed how late my dad was to coming home. It was almost as if I didn't get to see him anymore. Then one night, my parents were fighting. I was already in bed but I could still hear them. Mom yelled something about how my little sister, Becky, and I wouldn't have a decent father figure. Becky was only four at the time. The fight was so loud that I was worried that Becky would wake up crying. She didn't. I was the one who stayed awake listening in on their argument. The yelling, the shouting, the swearing, I heard it all. Next thing I knew, it was morning and Dad had his bags packed ready to go.

"Goodbye, Saban," he said before he walked out the door. That was the last time I saw him.

Ever since he broke up with that other girl, Dad's been moving around a lot. He keeps in touch, though. Usually, we hear from him during our birthdays. Last June was Becky's eighth birthday and Dad had given her this one hundred dollar gift card to Toys 'R' Us. On my fourteenth birthday last September, he had given me this really nice digital camera. In it so far are pictures of the band, Jarod sticking his middle finger up at the camera, me sleeping during lunch at school (courtesy of Roxie being an ass), pictures of my girlfriend, Maya (yeah, I said girlfriend), pictures of Kendi and Cam, pictures of Kapri and Valencia (How did those get in there?), and a picture of Cam, Dan, and Rodney. Notice their dad isn't in there.

Dad seems to think that showering us with expensive gifts will make up for leaving us. Money can buy a lot of things, but it can't buy my forgiveness. An explanation will. Unfortunately, Dad is halfway around the world so I could never tell him that. I need to look him in the eye and tell him. Not write some letter that may get lost.

Mom worked hard to stay with Dad. She tried to let it go when he came home late. She tried to get Dad to stay. She did everything to prevent the divorce. But a divorce came anyways. All her effort wasted. At the time I wasn't exactly the brain of the fifth grade class. Hell, that was Cam. But my grades were average (i.e. C-) but after Dad left, I just didn't see a point in trying so hard. Every time I made an effort, it never came with good results. So I stopped trying. Yeah, my friends think I'm lazy but I just don't feel there's a point at all anymore. My grades weren't the best when I did make the effort, but when I stopped trying, they went down the drain. Somehow I still made it to ninth grade.

I e-mailed Zonks a couple times then someone e-mailed me.

_**GCroxmySox316 wrote:**_

_Hey, Saban. Is everyone upset? I know I am. Dammit, why did this have to happen? Why?_

_Roxie_

My question exactly. It's not like our lives weren't sad enough, just add in our friend nearly getting his head busted open. Cam's already been through enough. The rest of us have too.

_**DarkLordoftheUnderworld wrote:**_

_Dude, did I seem pissed back at the hospital? Everyone is saying that I was._

What could I say? I answered him.

**_From: slackermetalheadA7X  
To: DarkLordoftheUnderworld_**

_Yeah, you were, jarod. can't get over that._

But no one could blame him. I wanted to get mad at Cam too but we couldn't. Not after everything he's been through. But I wonder if he knows what he's putting us through.

**Roxie's POV **

Dan brought me home. When I got in, I saw that my dad had just gone grocery shopping. And apparently had a side trip to the liquor store. I went into the fridge to look for something to eat and right there on the second shelf was a bottle of newly bought vodka. I estimate it'll be gone by the end of the day. I sighed heavily.

I took a bag of Skittles and sat on the couch and put Degrassi on. But instead of paying attention to the show, I had my own distant thoughts.

I wonder if I had told Cam that my dad was an alcoholic (only not to that extreme) and if he'd told me, would everything be different? I don't know. It hurts my head to think about it. You know, I think the reason I'd cut before was because of all these disorders I've had: ADD, OCD, just a bunch of letters that prove I'm crazy. But I think my dad's drinking had a part in it too. I never got help for it but I did stop. Isn't that enough?

Man, sometimes it feels like there's nothing good when it comes to my friends' lives and mine. They're full of misery.

I want to cut now, but I don't want to give in to that again. Once I start, there's no way for me to go back.

**Maya's POV **

I'm home again. Or at least physically I am. My mind has gone off somewhere else. It's thinking about Cam and how just being in the same house as his dad hurt him. I wonder what it must've been like to go home every day wondering how much your father has in store for you. And if it's going to be more painful than the last time. Cam bottled up everything inside. I don't like it when people do that. I try to let people know that in order to deal with something, you have to be open, not a hermit. Just look at Cam. Keeping his dad a secret almost killed him. I hope he's alright.

When I get to my room, I make a silent prayer that Cam will be fine. And that he'll talk to us afterwards. Cam's not the only one who bottles things up though. The other guys of RMC call me sometimes to talk. Zonks talks about his parents and how they don't except his music. Jarod calls to complain about his parents ignoring him. Saban calls just when he's feeling down (or just to call). I try my best to help them but it's hard sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I like it that my friends trust me enough to be open with me. But I'm not a doctor. I can't heal everything. And yet I try to. I think Roxie bottles her feelings up too but she covers it up by being crazy. She has an alcoholic dad too but nothing abusive. As far as I know. Kendi, I know, bottles things up. And when she bottles tings up, that's where she starts cutting herself. I wish she wouldn't. I don't want to lose my best friend.

I don't want to lose anybody. When my friends talk to me, I feel their pain, but I don't deal with it the way Kendi does. I can't ever let myself fall into that. I just can't. And I want so badly to help everyone, but it's too much. And yet, I keep trying.

I just don't want to lose the people I care about. It would kill me.**

* * *

****A/N: Yeah, kind of sad, but none's life is picture perfect. I bet even Kapri and Valencia have their own problems too. Anyways, I'm hoping I get the next chapter to be happy a little but I can't promise anything. If you can see the screen names up there, just to let you know, I own those pretty much. So if you happen to want to use them, let me know first at least. As always read and review!**


	32. The Importance of a Sunrise

**Chapter Thirty Two- The Importance of a Sunrise**

**A/N: Yeah, a sunrise. Never actually seen one but I've seen a sunset. They really are beautiful. I tried painting one once but it kinda looked screwed up. I remember this one story where someone was trying so hard to paint a sunset but they always failed but they kept trying. It was a picture book that I read in like first grade but I still remember it. It was called Legend of the Indian Paintbrush by Tomie dePaola. I haven't read it in a while but maybe I will. **

Disclaimer: I don't own S.E. Hinton's "The Outsiders" and Robert Frost's "Nothing Gold Can Stay." But I do own my OCs even if they're based on real people.

* * *

**Kendi's POV**

This is the first day of Cameron and his brothers staying with us. So far, it's been good. Dan helps out a lot with my parents like washing the dishes, doing the laundry, and even mowing the lawn. And this is only the first day. Rodney's already gotten everyone in my family laughing. After they got everything settled in, we went outside and threw a tennis ball around. Actually, the boys were throwing the tennis ball and I was just sitting on the grass watching them as I talked with Maya and Roxie on the phone (Roxie has three-way calling). We just talked about random stuff like the stupidity of editors of teen magazines. Why do they insist on slapping the faces of Jesse McCartney and Zac Efron in every damn issue? Why couldn't they put some other guys in or maybe something we might actually care about like an article on dealing with sudden changes or a guide to what high school really is like.

"You know, a lot of those magazines have stuff about make-up and getting the right hair-do," Roxie said.

"Yeah, that's why I like Nickelodeon magazines better. They're fun and random!" I said.

"Kendi, are you high?" Maya said.

"I'm serious! What's wrong with liking Nick magazine?"

"Yeah, Maya. At least Nick mag has awesome pranks that we can always use when needed," Roxie said.

"Let me guess, on Valencia and Kapri?" Maya said.

"Yeah!" Roxie and I chimed in unison.

Okay, we're weird, we know. But, hey, weird has its advantages.

Later that night, after I showered (to anyone who's wondering, we have separate bathrooms), I joined Cam and Rodney on the couch while they were watching a documentary on VH1. Dan was at the kitchen discussing a few things with my dad. Something about what they'll do to repay us for letting them stay a while. I think Dad is trying to convince Dan that it's all right. They don't need to repay us.

"Since when do you wear glasses?" Cam asked me. I had on a pair of silver wire frame glasses. I usually wear contacts during the day and glasses by night.

"Since sixth grade," I said.

"Never seen you wear them."

"Probably 'cause I usually wear contacts."

"Oh." Cam was sitting between Rod and me. Soon Dan came to join us and sat next to Rod on the other side. We looked like the Cingular® bars on those commercials (except there were only four of us).

I ended up laying my head down on Cameron's shoulder. This time, though, I was too tired to pull back. So I fell asleep while lying on the shoulder of the guy I rejected. Should I feel guilty?

**Cherry's POV**

When I went to check on Kendi and the boys, I saw that they had all fallen asleep on the couch. Dan had his cheek to his fist and his elbow to the armrest. Rodney's body was slanting towards Dan. Cameron was also leaning towards his brothers. Kendi was fast asleep on Cameron's shoulder. The scene looked very sweet. I wanted to take a picture but I decided not to. That would be too embarrassing for them.

Still, just looking at them made me smile. I couldn't believe those three boys have lived with a drunken father. I always hated it when people drank. That's why I couldn't stand to be with Bob when he was on the booze. It was disgusting. I just can't imagine what those boys must've gone through. And I certainly don't know how they're dealing with it.

**Jed's POV**

"Hey, Jed, did you hear about Cam?" Wade said when I got to my locker.

"No, what?" I said.

"You haven't heard?"

"Apparently no, Wade. What happened to that idiot, this time?"

"Last week, his dad tried to kill him." I raised my eyebrows.

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. I heard that Cam's dad was drunk. I think they said Cam was abused too." Huh, maybe that's why he came to school with a new bruise every day.

"Who's 'they'?" I asked.

"Some kids I know from Kesata High."

"Oh."

"I think he's living with Mr. Curtis' family for the moment."

"Whoa, he's going to get a lot of hell."

"Yeah, especially after that fight you guys had. You think Mr. Curtis still remembers?" Wade asked.

"I don't know. Maybe."

"You think Cam's still going to play in his band?" I remembered seeing Cams band at the talent show last year. Yeah, I'll admit, they were good but that doesn't mean I'll buy their CD if they ever make one.

"Probably."

"I give Cam one week before Mr. Curtis kicks him out," Wade said jokingly.

"Ah, I'd give him more than that. Mr. Curtis can put up with a lot of shit."

"Yeah, I guess." I don't like wishing for bad things to happen to people. My cousin was kicked out before and I felt really bad for him.

When third period Language Arts came, Mr. Curtis acted as if nothing had happened. I wonder how teachers can hide their personal lives from their students. Even if there's a rumor going around, they go about the day as if everything's normal. Our social studies teacher's son is in Iraq and besides an occasional call on her cell phone and mention during a lesson, we don't hear about him at all. How do teachers manage to deal with things without being fazed when they're teaching?

After school, Wade and I decided to go hang out at the arcade. And there we saw Cam at his usual spot at the air hockey table. Only Rawley wasn't his opponent. Rawley was at the sideline watching the game. Cam's challenger was this short, dark-blond-haired girl who looked vaguely familiar.

"Hey, I scored another goal!" Cam said.

"I thought you said you'd go easy on me!" the other girl said.

"I _am _going easy on you," Cam said.

"Cam, look who's here," Rawley said when he saw me.

Cam saw me, too, and he didn't look happy. There was a bruise on his cheek. Normally, I'd make fun of him for losing another stupid fight. But now that I know the real reason for those bruises, I can't bring myself to say that kind of shit. I don't know exactly what he's been through, but I doubt all of my bullying helped.

"Hey, Jed," Cam muttered. "What do you want?"

I stood there wondering what I was going to say. I couldn't say anything bad, now. "Nothing," I said. Cam and I had been looking eye to eye but then I turned to the girl on the other side of the air hockey table. "You know, you look familiar. Have we met?"

She looked at me strangely. "No," she said bluntly.

"How would you know Kendi?" Rawley said. The girl, Kendi I guess her name is, looked really familiar. I'd seen her before, but where?

"You guys go to Guinesborro High?" Kendi said.

"How'd you know?" Wade said.

"The uniforms." Oh, right. Wade and I still had our stupid uniforms on. Man, the school required us to wear khaki pants (or shorts), a dress shirt, and even a freaking' tie! Man, why did my parents force me to go to a private school?

"My dad's a teacher there," Kendi said. "He teaches ninth grade." The air hockey table turned off when Cam scored the final goal. "Screw you, Cam!" she said sarcastically. Cam had won the game.

"What subject?" I asked her. Kendi walked towards us.

"Language Arts." When I saw her face close up, I immediately recognized her.

"You're Mr. Curtis' daughter!" I said. The girl was really short I have to tell you. You wouldn't be able to see her with all of us tall people around her including Rawley and Cam. I wanted to laugh at how midget-sized she was, but I held it. If she really was Mr. Curtis' daughter, it wouldn't do me any good to laugh at her.

"Yeah, I am," she said.

"I saw your picture on Mr. Curtis' desk," Is aid. She looked really strange. Everyone in our class would try to find the resemblance between Mr. Curtis and her. She didn't look anything like him. I couldn't believe it when he told us she was his daughter.

"Oh, yeah. That one from last year," Kendi said. "I looked really bad in it, did I?" Okay, so she didn't look the best in it. You wouldn't have seen her eyes if it weren't for her glasses.

"No, not really." I knew I couldn't just be rude and say yes.

Awkward silence. Well, I just didn't know what to say to someone who I've made fun of for all these years.

Then I noticed Cam's hair. Damn, Emmet wasn't kidding. It was as black as Kendi's eyes were blue.

"You really did dye your hair, Cam," I said.

"Yeah, I re-dyed it this weekend." Things seemed weird. We were being too nice to each other. Where's our usual exchange of insults? What's with the friendly chitchat?

"Well, it makes you look more like a Goth, Talon!" I said. Cam got the point. I guess he noticed the lack of negativity in the room.

"Yeah? Well, it's better than looking like you Meyers!" Cam yelled back at me.

That's when everyone else realized what was happening. Wade and I walked away while Cam and Kendi played another round of air hockey.

Cam and I have way too much history behind us. There's no way we can just automatically be become friends. I don't think we can ever be friends.

**Kendi's POV**

After the second game of air hockey with Cam, I gave up. Rawley took over and proved to be a better opponent than me. Damn, how do these guys play so well. I suck at air hockey compared to these guys! (Well, I suck at air hockey and any type of sport in general)

Cam checked the time. It was about 4:30. Dad wanted us home by 5:00.

"Guess we better get going," Cam said. For some reason, Cam knew a way from my house to the arcade.

We walked Rawley to his house, which didn't take too long. Then we began the long trudge back to my house. Along with a ride on a city bus.

"My dad said he could pick us up from the arcade but NOOO, you had to say that you would rather walk than impose another ride. Now how do you fee : I said as we dragged ourselves into my neighborhood.

"Kendi, please shut up," Cam said tired and annoyed at my nagging.

I decided to leave him alone about the tiresome walk for a moment. I had other questions.

"Was that Jed back at the arcade? The one with the black hair and his friend hanging around him?"

"Yeah, that was him. Only, he's not always that polite."

"I kind of figured that."

"He used to pick on me a lot in middle school." A memory of Valencia humiliating me in sixth grade came back to me. I shook it off. I didn't want to remember.

"Did you fight back?"

"Not really. Usually, I was too wiped from fighting my dad the night before to deal with him." Cam looked at me nervously to make sure I wasn't too bothered by what he just said. No wonder Cam is so messed up. Having to deal with all that would drive anyone crazy.

We finally made it home where my mom had prepared meatloaf for dinner.

**Cameron's POV**

The Curtises' guest room was located in the basement. Actually, it's kind of nice. Rod and I shared the guest room in the basement while Dan uses the couch in the TV room as a bed. I sleep on a mattress on the floor with blankets on. Rod sleeps on the bed. We switch off every night on who gets the bed. Tonight, I was on the floor. And Rod was snoring. Loudly. I couldn't sleep anyways. I had too much on my mind. People have been acting differently around me. The other day I saw Jed but he wasn't as smart mouthed as he always is. Mr. Danza, the teacher who is usually the hardest on me, doesn't pick on me as much lately. Even my own friends were cautious around me. All because everyone had found out about my stupid alcoholic father.

Hey, I'm glad I don't have to deal with his constant swearing, insults, and attacks, but I miss how it used to be with my friends and my teachers, It just wasn't the same anymore.

Finally I couldn't take any more of Rod's snoring. I went upstairs and sat at the dining table. I don't know why, but I think the fact that Dan occupied the couch might have something to do with it.

So I sat there, really thinking about nothing, when I heard footsteps come down the stairs. I jumped a little but then I realized that it was probably Mr. Curtis getting ready for his morning jog. I don't know how he does it but every morning, Mr. Curtis wakes up at 6:00 to go jogging around his neighborhood. Kendi said something about how he was a big track star back when he was in high school.

Mr. Curtis came to the dining room and found me with my arms on the table and my head on my arms. I was really tired but I couldn't get to sleep.

"Cam, why are you up so early?" Mr. Curtis asked me.

"Couldn't sleep," I said. I think Mr. Curtis could tell something was up.

"You want to talk about something, Cam?" he asked.

"Not really," I said. I expected Mr. Curtis to ask me more questions to make sure I was all right.

"Okay," he said. Then he walked away to the kitchen to make some coffee. No constant interrogating. No looking to confirm that nothing was wrong. No third degree. Just an acceptance that I didn't want to talk.

Twenty minutes later, Mr. Curtis comes back with to the dining room with two mugs. He slid one over to me. It was filled with hot chocolate.

"Thanks," I said. I took a sip. Okay, it was more like a gulp, but still.

Mr. Curtis had already gotten the newspaper. He was reading a section of it. Usually, at my house, Dan would read the front page, Rod would read the sports page, and I would be the first one to read the comics. Apparently, at the Curtis household, Mrs. Curtis would be working on the crossword puzzle, Kendi and I would have to compete for the comics, and Mr. Curtis would read movie reviews and movie listings. Yeah, that's right. Movie listings. That's what he was looking at while drinking his coffee. I never really asked. Until now.

"Hey, Mr. Curtis," is aid. He turned to me. "Why do you always read the movie listings first?"

"I like going to the movies," he said simply.

"Oh," I said. I guess that had to be an obvious answer.

"You know, when I was your age, I used to go to the movies almost daily," Mr. Curtis said.

'Did you sneak in snacks so you wouldn't have to pay at the concession stand?" I joked.

"No, but my friends and I did sneak into a drive-in theatre so we wouldn't have to pay the twenty-five cent admission fee."

"Whoa. Why?"

"Ah, that was just my friend, Dallas. Breaking laws was like a hobby for him." I thought about Jarod. He liked to take things from local stores. He once told me he took stuff just to piss off his parents. He almost got arrested once. A neighbor thought he'd tried to break into their house. Actually, he was just cutting across the lawn making a shortcut to his house. Don't ask me how you get trespassing mixed up with breaking and entering. I think he liked getting in trouble with the police. It really set his parents off.

"Anything else you an your friends did?" I asked.

"There were lots of things my friends and I did, Cameron. It'd be hard to tell you all of them."

"Yeah, I guess so." I took another gulp of my hot chocolate. I burned my tongue.

"Cam, are you sure you're all right?" Mr. Curtis asked.

"Yeah. It's just a burned tongue," I said.

"What?"

"Oh. Uh… nothing." I figured that Mr. Curtis was talking about something else. It was silent for a few seconds. Then I said, "Actually, there _is _something bothering me."

"I'm listening. What is it?"

"What's going to happen to my dad and my brothers and me?" Mr. Curtis sighed heavily.

"I think your dad may be going to rehab. They said you can go visit him if you want." I shook my head. "And most likely, you'll be able to live with Dan as your guardian." That's a relief. "Cam, is there something wrong?" Mr. Curtis asked again. Anything wrong? Everything was going to be okay. How could anything be wrong? "Cam, your brother, Dan, said you've been distant with him lately. He said you won't talk to him. Why?" I didn't say anything. Of course I haven't been talking with Dan. "Cam, I've been a younger brother, too. You met my brothers last Thanksgiving, right? Darry and I used to be the same way. So I know that you wouldn't shut your brother out for no reason." I decide I might as well tell him.

"Dan and I don't get along. He doesn't care. He hates me."

"Cam, that's not true…"

"How can you tell me that? He even hit me! He yells at me all the time because I can't think straight and…" I couldn't say anything else without getting angry. Mr. Curtis gave me a serious look.

"Cam, I may not know what's going on, but I know that Dan cares a hell of a lot about you. He yells because he's worried." He paused. "Tell me why he hit you."

"I came home late from the movies," I said. It sounded stupid now. Mr. Curtis laughed. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It's just that that's the same reason why Darry hit me." I looked at him to see if he was serious. He was. And I started laughing, too.

**Ponyboy's POV**

When I first met Cam at the park fighting with Jed, I thought he was just some angry punk. Now I know that there's more to him than that.

"Mr. Curtis, can I talk to you about something?" Cam asked after we finished laughing.

"What?"

"Last year, I started thinking about… suicide." I paused. Johnny came up in my mind. "I don't want to, but sometimes it just comes up like a random song lyric."

"You've never tried, have you?" I said. Cam stared at his mug.

"I was going to, once. But Dan caught me with the bottle of aspirin and…" he didn't have to finish. I understood.

"Cam, if it ever comes up again, please think about who you'd be leaving. Who you'd hurt. Think about that." I didn't want Cam to think his only option was suicide.

"I don't know, sometimes it's hard to see the bright side in things." I got an idea. I checked the time. It was about 6:45. Perfect.

"Cam, come with me." Cam didn't object. I took him outside to the front porch. "I want you to see this."

The sun started to rise. There was a brilliant stream of gold. It reminded me of that morning at Windrixville. Then, suddenly, the sunrise was over.

"Wow, that was beautiful," Cam said staring at the sky.

"It is."

"I wish it could've stayed like that. With the gold and everything." That's when I remembered the poem.

"_Nature's first green is gold,  
Her hardest hue to hold.  
Her early leaf's a flower  
But only so an hour  
Then leaf subsides to leaf  
So Eden sank to grief,  
So dawn goes down to day  
Nothing gold can stay."_

"Did you make that up?"

"No, a poet named Robert Frost did. I always remembered it when I was your age because I didn't know the meaning of it. Now, I do."

"What does it mean?"

"It means that you've only got one chance, Cam. Only one chance to live so make the best of it. Don't let it slip away. It's your only life. That's your gold."

Cameron smiled. "Thanks, Mr. Curtis. I will.

* * *

**A/N: It's not over yet. There's still more to come (Geez, how am I going to end this story?) Anyways, since Ranmayuuske930 (aka my good friend Jill) practically advertised Someone to Lean On in her fic, NOBODY2, I might as well let you guys know that her fics, NOBODY and NOBODY2 are awesome! They're dark and funny at the same time. There's even some Someone to Lean On parodies in her story, NOBODY2 (I gave her permission to parody them so it's not like I didn't know). They're supposed to be InuYasha fics but I read them before I even knew what InuYasha was and I still could understand it. So if you can, read some of her stories. They make you laugh and think at the same time! (Jill did not pay me a single cent to write this!)**

**Sorry about how long it took to get this chapter up! Hope everyone's having a good summer!**

**By the way, I ran out of pages in my notebook writing this story! (Useless info. Ignore at all costs)  
**


	33. Why We Hate Valencia and Kapri

**Chapter Thirty Three- Why We Hate Valencia and Kapri**

**A/N: Oh, you already have your reasons? Well, get ready to make this one number one. This might remind you a little of Mean Girls. **

**Valencia: Since when have we been hated?  
Cameron: Since chapter three.  
Kapri: How can anyone hate us?  
Cameron: I'll give you a bazillion reasons.  
Kendi: I've got a list. (Pulls out extra long, five zillion foot list)**

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Outsiders," so don't sue me. Even if you did sue me, all you'd get is (counts change) fourteen dollars and twenty-eight cents! And these dinky Chinese handcuffs I won at an arcade.

* * *

**Rodney's POV**

We've been staying at the Curtises or about two weeks and next week, we'll be moving back. Hey, I like living with the Curtises and all, but I need my own room. Cam and I can only take sharing the same room for so long. Mr. Curtis said that he and his brother, Sodapop, also shared a room when they were teens. I wonder how that went. Cam's a pretty light sleeper. Sometimes, he would wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom or get a glass of water. Trust me, I can live without the rude awakenings. Nothing against Cam or anything, but I'm one of those guys who needs sleep.

Mrs. Curtis ordered pizza for dinner. One large pizza with everything on it. So you can imagine what we did when we all got a slice on our plates. We picked at them. You know, take out all the toppings we prefer not to ear? So here we all are, at the table, with our fingers pulling out various ingredients from our pizzas. Kendi pulled out the bell peppers and the pepperoni (which I gladly took). Cameron's plate became piled with the black olives he despised. I got rid of all the mushrooms from my slice. Dan, being the kind of guy who would eat anything, at his whole pizza slice, mushrooms, black olives, bell peppers and all.

After washing my pizza down with a Pepsi, I decided to offer to do the dishes. Dan, Cameron, and I have been washing the dishes the last few weeks as a thank you. Dan's idea.

So, as Cameron and Kendi are playing on their guitars, I'm stuck here at the sink making sure I don't break anything. Again. Once I was done, I went downstairs to see what Cam and Kendi were up to.

_"I don't have to say I'm sorry  
I've got nothing to be sorry for  
You don't have to say you're worried__  
I know you don't mean it anymore!" _ I heard them singing. It was a pretty catchy tune. 

"Hey, cool song. Who's it by?" Kendi smiled a little.

"Actually, I wrote it last year when I was bored during Algebra class," she said. "Cam was helping me with the music so we can show it to the band tomorrow."

"Cool. Have fun, you guys," I said before going upstairs to watch some TV (and possibly do some homework). As I was watching _Pimp My Ride _(and attempting to do the science reading I had for homework), I remembered when my friends and I had a band. My friend, Jim, who's a year older than me, played the drums. Dorado was on lead guitar. One of my closest friends, Natasha, was on bass. And I was on guitar and vocals, just like Cam is with his band. Our band was called the Toonami Surfers. We used to want it to be Tsunami Surfers, but our obsession with Cartoon Network caused us to change the name. And it stuck.

We broke up over the summer mostly because we couldn't find the time for it anymore. Our schedules disagreed with the practice time we wanted. I was really busy at the food court 'cause I needed the money. Now, I changed jobs to another part of the mall. I work with Natasha at Suncoast Video. Natasha and I have been thinking about bringing the band back together since we might actually have time for it now. We've even talked to Jim and Dorado. Hopefully, Residents of Mangled City won't mind taking turns with us for the basement rehearsals. They've been practicing in the Curtises' basement, but we can tell that Kendi's parents wouldn't mind a break from them.

It started to get late. Mrs. Curtis is telling me to wake up. I've fallen asleep in front of the TV. So I drag myself to the basement guest room where Cam is already asleep on the bed. It's my turn to sleep on the floor. I lay my head on the pillow and drift into some other world where Mom is alive and Toonami Surfers is touring the world.

After a few short hours, Cam gets out of bed and accidentally kicks me in the stomach.

"Hey!" I yelped.

"Sorry, Rod," Cam said quietly.

"What the hell are you doing up?"

"I just got thirsty. Didn't mean to wake you." Then Cam walked out and up the stairs.

For some reason, I don't think I'll ever understand my kid brother.

**Cameron's POV**

Rodney snores so loudly! Damn, I seriously can't wait to be back in my own room. His snoring keeps me up so much that sometimes I decide to just go upstairs to get away from the noise. I probably should tell Rod, but what can he do about it? Stop breathing?

Getting up early, though, does have its advantages. Sometimes, I'll just wake up early on purpose to catch a glimpse of another sunrise. Call me a loser or whatever, but I liked watching the sunrise. It kept reminding me of Mr. Curtis' poem. I've almost got it memorized too.

But when I looked out the window, it was still pitch black. The digital clock on the microwave read 3:06 A.M. How'd I wake up this early? I wasn't even tired anymore so I didn't see the point in going back to bed. So I sat down at the dining table again thinking a few hours would pass and I would fall asleep sooner or later.

_CLANG! _I heard a metallic sound from upstairs. Like something dropping on the floor. It wasn't loud enough to wake anybody, but it still made me wonder what it was. I walked up the stairs to see that the bathroom door was shut and there was light streaming from the bottom of the doorframe.

I knocked lightly on the door.

"I'm in here," I heard Kendi quietly say. She sounded strained.

"Kendi? It's me, Cam. Are you all right?" I heard her whine a little.

"Yea… I mean… no," she said. She started to whimper again. "Dammit."

"Kendi? What's going on?" I said.

"The bleeding. It won't stop."

"What?" I threw open the door without thinking. Thankfully it was unlocked. Kendi was stooped over the sink with her sleeves pulled back. On her right arm, below her wrist, there was a wound that seemed to still be bleeding. On the floor was her switchblade. She was struggling to stop the wound from bleeding by putting pressure on it with a paper towel soaking up the blood. She looked scared.

"Dammit," she said again. The blood wouldn't stop. I took another paper towel and helped apply pressure on Kendi's wrist. I learned some first aid stuff back in seventh grade health class. From now on, I'll pay closer attention when a teacher is giving the procedures to the Heimlich maneuver or anything like that.

The bleeding finally stopped. And my hands were covered in blood.

Kendi's breaths were quick and shallow, but they had a hint of relief in them.

"You okay, now?" I said.

"Yeah, thanks, Cam." We started wiping away the blood on the sink with the paper towels that weren't blood soaked. There wasn't too much to wipe away but still.

"Do you do this every night?" I said.

"No, I only do this once or twice a week." That didn't make this any less worse.

As she washed the switchblade in the sink, I said, "Why do you do this to yourself?" She stared absently at the water flowing from the faucet.

"I don't know."

"Then what's the point in doing this? Can't you see what's going on?"

Kendi kept staring at the faucet. "I don't know why I do this. I just do. It helps me feel better."

"How can this," I said indicating the wound that was shabbily wrapped in a paper towel, "help you feel better?"

"It just does." Kendi shut the faucet off and closed the blade. "You know, ever since Dana's suicide, I stopped crying." She says this as if I'm supposed to make some kind of meaning out of it. I can't.

After everything's cleaned up, Kendi and I say good night and she goes back to her room. I go back to the room I share with Rod. He's still snoring.

As I lie awake in bed, I wonder about Kendi. I wonder how she could do this without her parents knowing. The scars were getting more and more noticeable. I wonder if Kendi will ever get help. I wonder if she even _wants _help.

Then a new thought dawns on me:

When I move out next week, what will Kendi do if the bleeding doesn't stop again?

**Dan's POV**

Today is our last day living with the Curtises. We've been living under their roof for almost three weeks. It's been great and I'm really happy they let us stay.

When Cam, Rod, and I finished packing, I looked for Mr. Curtis to say thanks. He's nowhere in the house but when I look outside, smoke is coming out from the porch. I've found him.

I went out to the front porch and sure enough, Mr. Curtis is smoking with a pack of cigarettes on the small table. We've gotten used to Mr. Curtis smoking. Dad used to smoke a while back but then he quit. After Rawley's house caught fire.

"Hi, Mr. Curtis," I said.

"Hello, Dan." I sat down in the chair on the other side of the table.

"Umm… I just wanted to thank you for giving us a place to stay," I said. Mr. Curtis chuckled.

"You've thanked us a lot, Dan. Besides, I couldn't let you and your brothers be separated." Mr. Curtis took another puff of smoke. "It would've killed me if it were me and my brothers."

"Oh, yeah. You have brothers too."

"Yeah, my oldest brother, Darry, was just like you. Played on the football team, popular in high school. He could've gone to college but he couldn't' after our parents died in the car accident so instead of sticking Soda and me in a home, he decided to get a job to support us. Kind of like what you're doing with Cam and Rodney."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I didn't have the heart to tell him that this is the fourth time he's told me that.

The porch got really smoky making it harder to breathe so I went back inside. The cloudiness reminded me of Dad. At least Mr. Curtis showed some consideration by taking it outside.

"Is he smoking again?" Kendi asked. She was reading a book in the living room.

"Yeah, he is."

"Ugh." Kendi closed the book and went upstairs to her room.

During our three weeks here, I've noticed that Kendi is almost always in her room and takes the longest to use the bathroom. What does she do in all that time?

**Valencia's POV**

I got ready for school. I knew the bus would be here soon. When I went downstairs to the kitchen, there was a note on the refrigerator:

_Valley, I'm going to be working late again, tonite. There's leftover Chinese food in the fridge. Just heat them up for thirty seconds. Thirty-five if needed.  
_

_Love ya always,_  
_Mom_

I sighed. Mom is always working late. It's almost like she's not even there anymore. Dad hasn't been around too much either ever since he got that promotion.

When I got to school, Kapri was waiting for me by the lockers.

"Hey, Valley!"

"Hey, Kapri!"

"Have you heard? I think Cami's finally moved out of Kendi's house!"

"Yay!" For those who don't know, our friend, Cam, almost got killed by his dad and then he had to stay at someone else's house. That someone else being Kendi Curtis. Oh, the torture he must have endured. "We should celebrate with him or something." Kapri grinned.

"I know something perfect you can do," she said.

"What?"

"I dare you to kiss him at his locker."

"No way."

"You chicken?"

"No."

"Then do it."

"Wouldn't that bother you?" Cam _was _Kapri's ex-boyfriend after all.

"Not as much as Kendi Curtis kissing him," she said as she stuck her tongue out and pointed to her tonsils with her index finger.

"Ugh, bad mental picture!" We laughed. Who cares who saw?

"Shut up," someone said. It was Roxie.

"Make us." She flipped us her middle finger.

"You immature Goth!" Kapri yelled.

"Like. Oh my God, Roxie! They called you immature!" said Maya who showed a second later.

Instead of saying something back, we decided to leave. We can trash those two later. We walked over to where Cam's locker was. He was alone taking books out and stuffing his backpack in his locker.

Kapri walked over to the water fountain and mouthed to me, "Go for it!"

"Hey, Cam," I said in my sweetest voice. I couldn't believe I was actually taking on Kapri's dare!

"Hey," he said sounding unenthusiastic.

"So, I heard you finally moved out of Kendi's house," I said.

"Yep," Cam said still ignoring me.

"That's good. I don't think you'd want to be stuck living with her for the rest of high school." Cam finally turned to me.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, I mean, she's so weird. Always quiet, always writing in that notebook, listening to that stupid rock music…"

"I happen to like that music!" he said. "And for your information, Kendi's actually pretty cool. She's a really good friend." Aha! He said, "friend."

"Now that Cam was facing me, I thought this was the perfect time to fulfill Kapri's dare. So I pursed my lips. And leaned forward. And I kissed him on the lips.

"What the-," I heard him say.

As I kissed him, I opened my eyes (dorky, I know), and who should I see standing a few feet away from us than little Kendi Curtis with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.

**Kendi's POV**

No. This isn't happening. It can't be real, it just can't be.

I blinked.

It's real.

Cam and Valencia were kissing near his locker. And Valencia knows I can see them. She's smirking at me.

I want to do something. I want to pull her off him. I want to pull every strand of hair off her head. I want to pull the fire alarm so they'll stop. But instead, I run. I run to the girls' bathroom where all the stalls are empty. I know it's a stupid reason. I debated whether I should do so or not.

Then I locked myself in stall and pulled out my switchblade.

**Kapri's POV**

Ha! Kendi caught Valencia kissing Cami! Well, at least she knows that Cami will never be hers. Ever. I saw her run into the bathroom. She's probably crying her eyes out.

Cami pushed Valencia away.

"What the hell are you doing, Valencia?" he said.

"Kissing you, silly!"

"Well, why?" Cami started wiping his mouth as if a bad taste had hit his lips.

"Because I like you!" I started wondering what Kendi was doing in the bathroom. Knowing her, she'd either be writing mean stuff about Valencia on the walls or punching out the mirror. I decided to check on her.

When I went into the bathroom, Kendi looked like a deer in headlights. I could see why. She was at the sink washing her arm. And her arm had slits and blood on it. No wonder she was always carrying that damn pocketknife with her!

"Kapri, wait-," she started to say, but I was already gone.

"Valencia, get over here!" I said. She reluctantly tore away from flirting with Cami.

"What is it?"

"It's about Kendi. You won't believe this, or maybe you will, but that bitch is a cutter."

**Kendi's POV**

Oh, shit. She knows. Kapri knows. She knows my secret. She's going to tell the world. And soon, my whole life will be shattered.

By now, she's already told Valencia. When I stepped out of the bathroom, Valencia was giving me all sorts of dirty looks. I kept my head down to black them out.

"What's wrong, Kendi?" Cam said when we got to Spanish.

"Nothing. What makes you think something's wrong?"

"It's in your face. You look anxious."

I sighed. "Kapri knows about… this," I said as I lifted my sleeve-covered arm.

"What?" he yelled.

"Cam, do you have something to say to the rest of the class?" Señora Hernandez said to Cameron.

"No," Cam said embarrassed. Cam gave me a worried look.

"I don't want to talk right now," I said before he got a chance to say anything else. He left me alone knowing that if I didn't want to talk, I didn't want to talk.

I tried to concentrate on conjugating Spanish verbs (Señora Hernandez was making us review things we had learned in eighth grade), but my attention went to Kapri who was talking to Tina. They were talking about me. They didn't even try to hide the fact that they were. Kapri was saying something to Tina and pointing in my direction. My heart beat faster. Tina got a disgusted look on her face. I tried to read their lips.

"Does she really?" Tina asked.

"Yeah, I caught her doing it in the bathroom," Kapri answered.

"That's so gross!"

"Yeah, I know, right?" Then they started talking so fast that I couldn't keep up. They were laughing and mocking in my face (sort of).

Then Tina said, "You have to tell somebody."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, somebody has to stop her."

Kapri raised her hand, and I started to feel sick. What was she going to do?

"I need to talk to the guidance counselor," she said.

"Sure, is something wrong, dear?" Kapri shook her head and Señora gave her a pass.

Kapri was gone for ten minutes. It was February but I was sweating by the gallons. Cam tried to get my attention, but my mind had shut down. My heart was beating faster than normal. I had no concentration.

Kapri came back with a smug look on her face. She was looking towards me. The phone rang almost immediately after she got to her seat.

"Hello? Yes, this is she." Señora looks towards me. I pretend to work on the assignment. "Yes, she's here. Okay, I'll send her right away." Señora Hernandez hangs up the phone.

I can already hear the death march being played in my head. It's all over. I nearly scream when Señora turns to me.

"Kendi, they want you at guidance."

* * *

**A/N: … Uh-oh. Uhh… I can't really say anything funny or amusing here, so the STLO crew will take over temporarily (RockerLane goes off and yells at herself for what she just did).**

**Roxie: You know, I noticed something in this story.  
Maya: Yeah, me too.  
RL1110: What?  
Roxie: That the only kissing scenes that are happening are between Kendi and Cam and THEY'RE NOT EVEN GOING OUT!  
Maya: I know!  
Rawley: Come on, we want some action too!  
Saban: We actually do have girlfriends so we deserve to make out!  
Maya: That sounded weird but he's right.  
Roxie: So where's our fluff scene?  
RL1110: Fluff scene? WTF?  
Roxie, Maya, Rawley, and Saban: WE WANT A MAKE OUT SCENE TOO!  
RL1110: (Too busy yelling at herself for what happened in the chapter)**

**Read and review. Please? Pretty please? **

**And that little song up there in the beginning, that's the hook to the song I wrote called "Outcast Anthem." I wrote the lyrics and Joel wrote the music.**


	34. Bleeding and Smoking

**Chapter Thirty Four- Bleeding and Smoking**

**A/N: Make of the title as you wish. It's a little predictable anyways. Some serious stuff coming up ahead so there might not be as many laughs.**

**August 9th- BEST DAY OF OUR LIVES! PARAMORE ROCKS!**

**You probably already knew this if you've read Jay's (Ranmayuusuke930's) story, "Problems" which includes a character based on our friend Rugrats101 (Lauren!) who also has a great story called "Told You So!". (Both of them are Outsiders related)**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for Kendi, Cameron, Maya, Roxie, yes you get the picture. Let's move on.

* * *

**Kendi's POV**

I took baby steps to the guidance counselor. No one noticed. Who notices a girl with her head down taking her own sweet time walking through the halls? No one. No one except Roxie apparently.

"Hey Kendi! Where you going?" she said. She was walking out of the bathroom. The one where I'd gotten caught cutting.

"Nowhere," I said. Roxie teased me.

"Ooh, Kendi's skipping!"

"Shut up."

"Tell me where you're going." I didn't want to tell her. But Roxie's one of my best friends so I was required to.

"The guidance counselor," I said softly.

"Why?"

"Promise you won't get too mad?"

"Uhh... okay. What's going on?"

"I was caught," I said even softer, "cutting."

Roxie's eyes grew with great shock. "Oh. My. Freaking. God." I turned away.

"Who caught you?"

"Kapri."

"Bitch."

"Are you freaked?" I said.

"Not really." Roxie checked to see if anyone was around us. "Can I show you something?"

"Uh... sure." Roxie lifted up her sleeve and pointed to a faint scar on her arm. "You mean you used to..." Roxie nodded.

"I don't anymore. Good luck at the guidance counselor's!" And then she was off to her class. It took me a few long moments to start walking again.

"Hello, Kendi," Mr. Naldi said as I walked through the door to his office. He said this like everything was just sunshines and rainbows when I knew I was in big trouble. "Do you know why you're here?"

Because Kapri snitched on me, " I wanted to say. But I didn't. I lied my butt off. "No."

"Well, we have an anonymous report that you are cutting. Is that true?" I wanted to lie again but somehow the message from my brain didn't quite make it to my mouth.

"Yes."

"Why?" I don't answer. I never gave much thought about why. It was just something I did. It was almost natural to me, as natural as brushing your teeth. "Why?" Mr. Naldi repeated.

"I don't know."

"Do your parents know?"

"No."

"Does anyone else know?"

"NO." I wasn't going to turn in Maya and Cam. And Roxie.

"I have to inform your parents about this." Shit. I'm dead.

"Oh," I said. Then Mr. Naldi went on about some other stuff about cutting and I had tuned him out by then.

"Okay," I'll check up on you later," he said. Then he sent me back.

It seemed unreal. Going to see Mr. Naldi was almost painless. At least it will be until my parents find out. I am dead.

Before lunch, I called my mom to let her know that I was staying after school for homework club. I wasn't, but I didn't want to face my mom any sooner than I had to. Mr. Naldi hadn't called her yet by the time I did. I called her at work so I could hear a bunch of little kids on her end. I hated the fact that Mom already had to deal with a bunch of younger kids at work and that when she got home she'd have to deal with me.

I went to the cafeteria. I wasn't hungry at all so I bought a can of juice at the snack bar. When I got to the table, everyone looked at me uneasily.

**Saban's POV**

When Kendi got to our table, nobody said anything. This girl, Tina, in my science class was talking to her friend, Kathy. They were loud so Jarod, Maya, and I overheard them.

"Did you hear about Kendi?" Tina said.

"No what?" Kathy answered.

"She just got sent to Mr. Naldi's last period."

"Why?"

"She cuts."

"Seriously?"

When Jarod and I heard this, we flipped out.

"What? She's a cutter?" Jaord had said.

"Why? She never told _us_!" I said. Maya looked worried.

"Maya did you know? Kendi's your best friend. Wouldn't she have at least told _you_?" Jarod asked. Maya didn't answer but it was pretty obvious that the answer was "yes". "Why didn't you tell anyone? Why didn't you stop her?" This only made Maya even more upset.

"Shut up, Jarod. It's not helping," I said.

"Let's just drop it for now okay?" Maya finally said. We agreed.

So now, it's lunchtime, and no one is saying anything. It was as if we had established that there would be no way to talk without bringing up Kendi's… problem. Not even Zonks was talking which I was hoping he would. Even his stupid "I'm a walrus!" routine was better than this silence.

"Hey, what's up?" Rawley said. He obviously didn't hear. Sophomores aren't usually interested in what's happening in the freshmen class.

None of us told Rawley anything. What could we say? Roxie came in. She looked as if nothing was wrong. Maya came next. She looked angry.

"Kendi, can we talk?" she said. And Kendi and Maya went to a corner to talk. Roxie followed even though she wasn't invited.

Wow. Kendi a cutter. Somehow, I'm not totally surprised.

**Kendi's POV**

Well, Maya's pissed. Really pissed. She thinks it was stupid of me to cut in school. I couldn't say anything. Maya was guilt-tripping me and she was doing it well. Roxie tried to defend me but it didn't help when Roxie revealed that she used to be a cutter. So now Maya's pissed at both of us. I wish Roxie had just minded her own business.

It's after school and I was waiting for Mom to pick me up. I knew it was going to be a while because I didn't go to homework club as I said I would. So I tried to kill time by doing homework while sitting on the school steps, but it gave me such a headache, I just started writing in my notebook.

_Don't let this be real  
I've fallen to deep  
So let me wake  
From this nightmarish sleep  
Things are happening that I never wanted to see  
This can't be true, it just can't be  
Things are moving too fast so I close my eyes  
Please let these visions be lies!  
It's my mind trying to scare me  
In a dream, that's a formality  
But when I open my eyes,  
Oh, God, I'm in reality!_

Suddenly, a boy on a bike is coming this way. He looks familiar. Messy brown hair, dark eyes, Beatles shirt…

"Demitri?"

"Hi, Kendi."

**Demitri's POV**

When I saw Kendi sitting on the steps of Kesata High after school hours, I had a feeling that something was wrong. She was writing in her notebook. Looking at her face, I knew something was wrong. You could see it in her eyes.

"What's up?" I said.

"Nothing." She was lying. Kendi's a bad liar in the first place but even if she wasn't, I could still tell.

People ask me all the time why I'm so quiet. One reason is because I'm shy. But another is because I like to listen. When you listen, you can hear what a person means and not just what they're saying. Like if some says, "I'm fine," it could mean, "What do you think? I feel like crap!" So when Kendi answered, "Nothing," she meant," Everything's gone horribly wrong and I don't want to just dump it all on you."

"You sure?" I said.

"Yeah." I stayed there for a few seconds.

"Kendi, if you need to talk-,"

"What makes you think I need to talk?"

"The fact that you're hunched over your notebook after school on the steps of Kesata High."

"So?"

"So, it's been four years. Maybe we should do a little catching up."

"You're not going to give up, are you?"

"Fine." And then Kendi talked. She told me about the girl who kissed Cam in front of her to the last moment of her encounter with the guidance counselor.

"You cut, Kendi?" Kendi nodded her head. "Why?"

"I don't know."

"Is it because of Dana?"

"Maybe."

"Why would you do that because of her?" Don't you remember where she ended up?"

" I know, already. Cam we just forget Dana now?" This got me angry.

"Why? You're not the only one who was hurt by what she did."

"I know."

"No, you don't. You left before you saw how it affected us. Gordon even blamed himself for the whole thing. He became depressed too and Ms. Coley had to get him to the doctor. I didn't even want to talk to anyone after she died. And that's when Emmet and I stopped being friends." I smiled a little without meaning to. "But looking at how much of an ass he's become, that might not be so bad."

Kendi didn't say anything. She didn't want to. I could tell. "Kendi, stop doing this to yourself. You're hurting everyone around you more than you're hurting yourself."

"My ride's here," she said. That's when I saw the mini-van pull up. "Bye, Demitri."

"Bye."

**Cherry's POV**

Kendi had been talking to some boy when I came to pick her up.

"Who was that?" I asked her.

"Just someone I know from another foster home."

"Oh." I didn't press the subject any further. There was something else I had to talk to Kendi about. "Kendi, I got a phone call from a Mr. Naldi, your guidance counselor." Kendi looked away from me. "He said that you're cutting," She still wouldn't look at me. "What's going on?" She didn't answer. "Kendi, answer me."

"I don't know." When we got home, Kendi went straight for her room.

"Where are you going?" Is aid.

"To my room to do homework."

"Okay, but later, we're going to talk about this." Kendi nodded and went upstairs.

Cutting. Where did she get the idea to do that? _Why _is she doing that? I remember back in high school when Marcia and I had made fun of this girl in our class who hurt herself. She got caught one day and we never saw her again. I wonder what happened to her.

I didn't think much of what Kendi was doing upstairs. That is, until she came to me with a bleeding arm.

"Kendi, what happened?"

"It won't stop bleeding," she said. I immediately took out a first aid kit from my bag and brought Kendi to the sink. I wiped away the blood with gauze and then applied pressure to her cut. Kendi's faced showed of pain but the bleeding let up. I wrapped the wound in gauze and looked at Kendi. It looked like she got scared.

"Sweetie, what's wrong? Why are you doing this?" Kendi didn't answer. "Kendi, please just talk to me." She still didn't say anything. "What did you use?"

"The switchblade." I knew it was a bad idea to give a knife to Kendi. What was Two-Bit thinking purchasing a weapon for a fourteen-year-old? What was Pony thinking in letting him?

"Give it to me." Kendi went upstairs without objection. She came back down with the switchblade in hand. It had obviously been washed recently. "I don't understand how you can do this to yourself. What's going on?" Kendi still wouldn't answer.

Have I lost my own daughter?

**Ponyboy's POV**

Usually, when I get home, I get some news from Cherry about her day at the day care. Today, though, I got news about Kendi.

"Pony, we need to talk about our daughter," Cherry said.

"What is it?"

"Today I got a call form the school's guidance counselor. Kendi's cutting."

"She's what?"

"She just did today. She's been using that switchblade your friend, Two-Bit, gave her." I had to sit down. Kendi cutting?

**Kendi's POV**

Dinner was silent. It was like no one knew what to say. They just looked at me worriedly and sometimes with expressions of disappointment which was worse than if they'd just be pissed at me. I wish they'd just yell at me instead of giving me the cold shoulder.

After dinner, I read a book in the living room. No one said anything to disturb me. I decided to look for Dad and ask if he actually knew about my cutting. He sure wasn't acting it.

I looked for him on the porch. He wasn't there but I found evidence that he'd been there. There was a pack of cigarettes and a lighter on the table. He's smoking again. I wondered. Is it because of me? Dad said that smoking helped him deal with things. Is that like cutting? Only one way to find out.

I took a cigarette out of the pack and picked up the lighter. And lit up.

**Ponyboy's POV**

I was looking for the papers I was supposed to grade when I saw smoke coming from the porch. I swear I had put out my cigarettes but what if… what if…? The burning church came to my mind and I immediately ran outside.

Instead of fire, I found something worse: Kendi smoking my cigarettes.

"What the hell are you doing?" I yelled. Kendi didn't answer, I snatched her cigarette and put it out n the ashtray. She just kept staring out blankly. "Kendi? What's going on? First you're cutting, now this?"

"What's the difference?" she said.

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, you say you smoke because it helps you deal with things. That's what I'm doing with cutting. Only I'm not blackening my lungs every day like you!" I was stunned by her reaction.

"Kendi, go to your room. Now." Kendi stormed inside.

I sat down and rubbed my forehead. This is too much. Cherry came outside.

"What's wrong, Pony?" she said.

"Everything," I said.

"Oh." That's when we saw the sunset. It reminded me of those days in Oklahoma. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Cherry pointed out.

"Yes it is." Then we watched the sun go down. With that, our worries about Kendi subsided. For the moment.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, it was bad. What happened, I mean. The writing might be too but that's your opinion. Thank you guys for reviewing. You know who you are. And the next chapter might not be too long, but trust me, it'll change everything. Ha, sorry, I'm torturing all of you so much. R&R and remind me to update!**

**P.S. Paramore concert last night was awesome! (But mosh pits and me don't mix) Jay and I even got autographs from three of the members of Paramore on our CDs (Zac was on a scooter! I want one now!) ! Highlight of my summer! (Jay even took a bottle cap from the stage they were on)**


	35. Words You Never Wanted to Hear

**Chapter Thirty Five- Words You Never Wanted to Hear**

**A/N: I hate what happens and it nearly killed me to write this. It's sad, let's put it that way. Okay, I'll quit it with the torturing and get on with the story.**

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Outsiders". I do own the poem, "I Give Up."  
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_Throw my hands up in the air  
Because I surrender  
The world's too big and I'm too small  
No use fighting, I know I'll fall  
Told me one too many times  
That I can't hit  
Told me too many times  
The same old shit  
So I'll throw my hands up in the air  
And I'll surrender  
I know that this is not enough__  
And I give up!_

**Cameron's POV**

I saw Kendi writing in her notebook during Language Arts. That's what she's been doing during the mornings lately. No words unless it's coming through her pencil and onto the page. Ever since her parents found out about her cutting, she's been forced to quit. So instead of dealing with her feelings through a blade, she pours them out in the form of poems and lyrics. I'm not sure if I like this any better. When she was cutting, we at least got to talk. Now it seems like she's in her own world most of the time.

"Hey, Kendi," I said when I saw her again in Geometry.

"Hey," she said. The notebook was nowhere to be found. Mainly this was because Mr. Danza once caught another student writing a note and he took it and read it to the whole class. Talk about traumatizing. So at least Kendi has a moment where she's not buried in her notebook.

"So, Kendi, are you all right?" I said.

"Yeah. Why would you think I'm not?"

"Just asking. You haven't been… you know… lately, right?"

"I haven't done that in a week, Cam. Why? You don't trust me? You think I'll start up again?"

"No, I didn't mean that," I said. "Look, I still think you should get some help. Maybe therapy or-,"

"Cam, I'm okay! I don't need help! I already quit!"

"Alright, I get it! Don't have to have a hissy fit." Kendi ignored me for the rest of the period. Kendi wasn't this way before. What happened?

**Kendi's POV**

I felt bad yelling at Cam. He didn't do anything except try to help. Why'd I go off on him? It was like I would've exploded if Cam said anything more.

After class, I talked to him at his locker.

"Cam, I'm sorry about yelling at you. I don't know what came over me, really." He smiled at me.

"It's okay. I understand. You're going through a rough time."

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For putting up with me."

"No problem."

**Cameron's POV**

I was really hoping Kendi would get her emotions under control. I thought she had when she apologized.

At lunch, Rawley was the only one at the table when I got there.

"So what's the deal with Kendi so far?" he said. I'd already told him about Kendi's cutting.

"She's doing okay. She's stopped cutting so maybe she's getting better."

"Yeah, I guess." Rawley paused for a moment. "Cam, how are you holding up?"

"What do you mean?" I said between bites of pasta.

"Well, first your dad abuses and tries to kill you. Next thing you know, Kendi turns you down and you find out her secret. How are you handling all that?"

"Actually, I already knew Kendi's secret way before she got called to Mr. Naldi."

"What? Then why didn't' you say anything?"

"It didn't seem like a big deal then."

"Well, what do you think now, smart one?"

"I don't know. I didn't think it would go like this."

"Oh. So, are you going to be okay, Cam? You've been dealing with a lot lately."

"I'll be fine, don't' worry."

"Alright then." I hoped Rawley would stop worrying about me. We've got other things on our minds without something else bothering us.

At the end of the day, I saw Kendi at her locker. My locker is only two away from hers (who planned that?) so we could talk again.

"Hey, Kendi. Feeling better?" I said.

"Yeah."

You sure?"

"Yeah, Cam, I'm fine. Why do you always ask?"

"I don't know. I guess because..."

"You don't have to ask every single time you see me. It's not like if you don't, I'm going to pull a blade on myself." She said this in an angry tone, like she was fed up with me.

"I didn't say you would. I just... I don't know. Things happened too fast. One minute, my dad's hitting you, and the next, I'm in the hospital, and then you're…" I never got to finish.

"Cam, stop it! I know what happened; I know what's going on! I'm tired of it!" I was thrown off. Why was she so angry?

"Look, Kendi. You're not getting it. You're hurting everyone. Can't you see we're all just trying to help?

"Stop it! Yeah, you're trying to help. Why can't you just leave me alone? It's nto like I have to take your shit, Cam!" As soon as she said that, she clapped her hand over her mouth and her eyes widened. "Cam, I didn't mean that. What I meant to say…" I cut her off. I'd had enough.

"Don't say anything. I don't want to hear it. If you don't have to take my shit, then I don't have to take yours." I wasn't angry, just annoyed. I looked Kendi once more in her embarrassed eyes and walked away, guiltless. And I walked home, without another thought.

**Kendi's POV**

I couldn't move. I couldn't take my hand off my mouth. If I did, I'd probably say something even stupider. No. Nothing could be as stupid as what I said to Cam. Nothing.

I took my bag, closed the locker, and leaned back on it. I really screwed up this time. I'll take a million of Valencia and Kapri's putdowns if I could just take it back. But all the apologies in the world couldn't take back what I said. Nothing I do can win Cam's forgiveness.

My throat hardened. Suddenly, my eyes got wet. No. I can't cry. Crying is admitting it's real. Crying is admitting it's real. Crying is… A tear leaked out of my left eye. I wiped it away. It was only a tear. It doesn't count.

I got angry at myself. How could I be so stupid? I banged my forehead on the locker. The headache soothed me. People stared at me strangely but who cares? I leaned back again and thought about how I could say sorry to him. How could I make it up to him? I came up with one conclusion.

I can't.

"I give up," I said softly.

When I got home, Mom wasn't there. She had to stay at work later because of some carnival day at the daycare.

Good, I though. There's no one to stop me.

I went to my room and put my bag in a corner. I pulled a piece of loose-leaf paper and wrote a few lines on it. Writing comes naturally to me these days. Then I took out my jewelry box. In it were some necklaces and earrings that I'd forgotten I had. Underneath it was the navy blue star necklace, and Dana's old knife. It wasn't the blade that freed Dana of her pain, but it was going to free me of mine.

I opened the blade, took a deep breath and-

_RING! RING! RING!_

The phone interrupted me.

**Cameron's POV**

I don't know why I was calling her. After what she said, I shouldn't even be thinking about her. And yet, here I am, dialing her number and waiting for her to answer. Pathetic, eh?

"Hello?" she said, her voice sounding like she jogged a few miles.

"Hey, Kendi. It's Cam."

"Oh. Hey." Awkward silence. Then we started talking at the same time.

"You first," I said.

"Cam, I'm sorry. I really am. I don't know why I got so mad. I made an ass of myself and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it."

"Yeah. You were kind of an ass," I said. No point in being dishonest.

"Thanks for not lying. Anyways, what were you going to say?"

"Just that I hope you're all right. I know you're sick of me saying that, but it's the truth. It seems like I'm losing you and I don't like it. I… I…" I wanted to say, "I love you." I odn't even know why I wanted to. I just did. But the moment seemed to awkward to say it. "I just want you to know that no matter how much of an ass you are, I'll stil be here if you need me."

"Thanks, Cam. For everything."

"No problem."

"Goodbye, Cam." Then she hung up. And it felt like everything was back to normal. Like a humongous weight was lifted off my shoulders. How many times have you heard that saying?

It was silent at my house. Dan and Rod were at work. And Dad, Dad was no longer a threat to me. I was free. It took a little while for it to sink in that I was safe in my own home for once. Safe.

Instead of doing homework, I plopped myself on the couch and watched. I could bring the volume as loud as I want without worrying about waking someone upstairs. I smiled.

After about a half-hour, the phone rang. It was Mr. Curtis.

"Cam, is that you?" he said.

"Yeah."

"Oh. Well, there's something I have to tell you." He sounded worried or upset or confused or maybe all of the above but I couldn't tell.

"Yeah?"

"It's about Kendi." My heart beat twenty times faster.

"Is she all right?"

"Well, it's difficult to say…" I grew dizzy. The room wouldn't stop moving.

"What is it Mr. Curtis?" I knew something bad. I expected it. I thought I would be prepared for it. But there was no way I could be prepared for what Mr. Curtis said next. I swear, my heart had stopped when I heard him say it.

"She's attempted suicide."  
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**A/N: AIIIIIEEE! Don't kill me people! I had planned for this to happen from the start so it isn't like I woke up one morning thinking, "Ooh, I'm gonna have Kendi attempt suicide!" Yeah, flames are welcome for this. I know there are at least three people who are going to say "WTF? GET UR ASS BACK HERE AND WRITE THE NEXT CHAPTER!" Or maybe more. Well, hope you liked it despite the last three words. Next chapter sure to be emotional. R&R**


	36. Do You Know What You've Done?

**Chapter Thirty Six- Do You Know What You've Done?**

**A/N: I'm a bad author, I know. I left you guys with the worst cliffhanger but I had stuff (yeah, the same old excuse but still) and school's been even tougher this year since I've got to go to two of them. But I've found time to write so that's good. Hope that any of you who are going to school are having a good time! (Even if you are dying a slow death in Spanish and Science like I am)**

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Outsiders" because S.E. Hinton owns it and she has full rights to it and it's her masterpiece and I should not claim to own any part of it whatsoever. But the characters not originally from "The Outsiders," I own them.

* * *

_She's attempted suicide._

**Cameron's POV**

I was silent. Dead silent. I couldn't even hear my own heartbeat. The world just seemed to shut down around me. I was lost in some other dimension. Time just… stopped.

"Cam, are you still there?" Mr. Curtis said. I'd forgotten I was still on the phone.

"Oh… uh… Yeah. Sorry."

"It's okay."

"Where's Kendi now?" I said, hoping he wouldn't say the morgue.

"She's at the hospital right now. Resting."

"So she's going to be fine?" Mr. Curtis didn't say anything for a moment.

"We don't know, Cam. She lost a lot of blood. The doctor said she might not…" He didn't' finish. It sounded like his voice was cracking up, like he was fighting tears. It must be tough to lose your only daughter.

"Are you guys at the hospital I was in last month?"

"Yes, but you don't need to come, Cam. I can tell you're upset. You don't have to-,"

"It's no problem. I'm coming."

"Are your brothers there?"

"No."

"Well, I'll come and give you a ride if you really want to. But it's not necessary, Cam."

"Don't worry. I don't need a ride." I'd hate to tear Mr. Curtis away from his daughter's side. "I'll get there by myself."

"It's mighty far away. You sure? It's no problem for me to come and pick you up."

"It's okay. I'll find my own way."

"All right, then. Some of your other friends said they'd come too." Then Mr. Curtis hung up. And I tried to think of ways to get to the hospital. It was too far to ride my bike. I thought about asking Jim for a ride but then I remembered that he was at work. Rodney and Dan are too busy to take me anywhere at the moment. All that left was the city bus. I decided that was my only option and I started scrounging in my room for bus fare. I got desperate enough to look through the cushions of our couch. When I managed to find the money, I ran straight for the door.

On the bus, I thought about Kendi. How could she do this to us? It was only about an hour earlier that we were on the phone together, maybe even less. Then… would that make me the last person to have talked to her? I tried to remember what we'd said. We'd just made up after out fight. We laughed. We were just getting back to our normal selves. I even promised to be there for her if she needed help. I almost said, "I love you," to her.

I almost said that I loved her. What would've happened if I'd actually said it? What if I'd gotten the guts to say what I'd wanted to say? Would it have mattered? Would she still…? I guess I'll never know. I'd continue to wonder for the rest of my life.

Then another thought hit me: What if she didn't try to kill herself after all? What if it was a mistake? An accident? What if she did cut herself but went deeper than she'd meant to? That's right, it's just a mistake. Kendi wasn't trying to kill herself, just the pain. It was an accident. Kendi wasn't trying to leave at all. It was just a big misunderstanding. She'll tell us that when she gets better. I rode the rest of the bus ride believing that Kendi hadn't attempted suicide.

That is, until I got to the hospital.

That's where I found everyone else with looks of mourning on his or her face. Rawley was leaning on the wall near the door while holding Roxie as she sobbed into his shirt. Then I saw Saban sitting on the floor with Maya cradled in his arms. Maya looked like she didn't know whether to cry or scream, but Saban seemed prepared for when she did decide. Zonks and Jarod seemed to be just hanging by the side watching everything fall apart.

"Hey, Rawley," I said. Rawley looked up from his crying girlfriend.

"Hey, man. You here to see Kendi?" he said.

"Yeah." Who else would I be here for?

"Well she's in this room." He indicated the door nearby. Her parents are in there right now. They're pretty beat up about this."

"Oh," I said. I wasn't eager to see Mr. And Mrs. Curtis all broken up about their daughter. I felt like if I looked into their expressions, it would mirror what I felt at the moment. I don't know if I can deal with that right now.

"You going to be okay, Cam? You don't look so good."

"I'll be fine. You think it'd be okay if…" I thought about the idea of coming into Kendi's hospital room a little more deeply. I couldn't just barge in on Mr. Curtis and his wife on the worst day of their lives. It just wouldn't be right. "Never mind."

"You can go in if you want. They're not going to throw you out."

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Just then, the door opened and Mr. Curtis stepped out.

"Oh, hello, Cam," he said.

"Hi, Mr. Curtis. Is Kendi going o be…" I realized I had already asked this question over the phone. Old habits die hard, I guess.

"So far, she's all right. I'm glad you came, though. I think you deserve to see this." Mr. Curtis dug into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Kendi wrote it." I took the piece of paper and unfolded it. Inside it read:  
_  
I scream for a way out  
No one hears  
I try to run away  
From my worst fears  
And with these eyes  
I do not cry  
But with this blade  
I hope to die  
After all these painful years  
I am free  
Love me, hate me  
But please forget me  
I can't come back._

Signed,  
Kendi Curtis

_P.S. Cam, I know what you wanted to say on the phone. I hope you find another girl to say it to._

As I read the last few lines, it felt like Jed had somehow shown and given me a hard punch in the gut. The contents of my stomach wouldn't keep still.

She really did try to kill herself. It wasn't an accident. It wasn't a mistake. She meant this all along. What other girl did you mean, Kendi? There's no one else.

'Cam, are you okay?" Mr. Curtis said breaking into my thoughts. I tried to open my mouth but I couldn't.

"He'll be okay, Mr. C," Rawley said for me. I handed back the letter still not believing what was written on it.

"It's all right, Cameron," Mr. Curtis said. "It'll all work out." The he walked back to the room. And I was left to wonder what went wrong.

"Roxie was still crying on Rawley's shoulder so I thought it was best to leave them alone. I went to where Saban and Maya were and sat down across from them.

"You guys going to be okay?" I asked.

"I think so," Saban said.

"I'm not," Maya uttered.

"You mad?" I said.

"No, I just… I don't know. Kendi and I have been friends for a long time. I just can't believe she did this. Maybe I should've done something or just…" Maya continued to beat herself up. Saban looked saddened by what she was saying.

"Hey, you wanna know something?" I told her.

"What?"

"This ain't your fault. You did all you could, Maya. You let her know that no matter what, she's still got a friend. Whatever went through Kendi's mind to do this has nothing to do with you."

"Yeah, Maya, Don't be too harsh on yourself," Saban added.

"Aw, thanks guys," she said, a few tears streaming down her face. Saban hugged her closer. I decided to leave them alone. When I got up, Saban called to me.

"Hey, Cam, don't you beat yourself up too. This ain't your fault either." I left without responding.

Zonks and Jarod were still at the farthest corner not doing anything in particular. I joined them. I needed some way to clear my mind.

"Hey," I said not able to think of anything else to say.

"Hey," they both said. About the only thing they said, really. It was quiet in the hall unless you count Maya and Roxie crying.

"You all right, Cam?" Zonks said.

"Yeah, I'm fine." How bad did I look? Everyone had been asking me that same question.

"Good," Jarod said, " 'Cause no one should be upset over what she did. This is her fault. None of this would've happened if it wasn't for her." His voice expressed no sympathy whatsoever. "She's going to hell for this." I never thought of Jarod being religious. Then again, none of us ever thought about, and if we did, we never mentioned it. It just never came up in our lives.

I wanted to say something back at Jarod. I just wanted to tell him to be quiet and respect that one of our friends was and that people were mourning. But when I opened my mouth, my throat turned to stone. All that came out was, "Shut your trap, Jarod." I tried to say more but it took too much effort. Jarod didn't say anything.

"Cam, maybe you should sit down a bit. You look sick," Zonks suggested. I felt sick too. There was some mental pain in my head that I knew an aspirin couldn't numb.

I leaned against the wall a few feet away from Jarod and Zonks. I wished Jarod never said anything. His words triggered this one memory of Dad that I would've preferred to have forgotten.

_Flashback_

CRASH! I didn't expect to hit the floor that hard. Maybe I'd underestimated how much alcohol he'd had this time. I don't know. I'd been making friends with the hardwood floor lately. Dad's temper was getting worse and I never thought of getting out of the way until it was too late.

"You're a disgrace!" he yelled. If my head weren't hurting so much, I'd probably say something back. I've dealt with his temper ever since I was eight. It's something I should be used to by now.

"Dad, quit it!" I heard Dan yell. "Can't you see? He's had enough. Leave him alone!" Dad hit him across the face. Dan was stronger than me so instead of falling to the ground, he just stumbled to the side a little.

"You shut up! My wife would still be alive if it wasn't for him. It's all hi fault!" He kept shouting at me while I was still on the ground. "This is all your fault, boy! None of this would've happened if it wasn't for you!" Rodney decided to step in.

"Dad, why do you keep doing this? Can't you let it go? Or at least move on instead of taking it out on Cam? It's not his fault! None of this is."

Dad slurred his words at Rod. There were a few cusses there too. I tried to get up again. Dad had already knocked me down a few times and it was getting harder to come back up. When I finally got to my feet, Dad's cold, hard eyes stared at me.

"Her death is your fault. You're going to hell for this."

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" a voice said. It took me a moment to realize it was Dan. The look of fury was evident on his face. "NO ONE TELLS MY BROTHER THAT! NO ONE!" Dan took another hit from Dad and he knocked into a wall. I'd had enough of this. Without thinking, I shoved Dad to the ground, just like he shoved me.

"Cam, hold it!" Rod said. He held me back by my arms. He didn't have to. I was too wiped to do anything else. "Cam, are you okay?" Truth was, I was aching everywhere.

Rod let go of me when he saw that Dad was getting up. Rod stood in front of me like a shield. He and Dad argued some more. Then Dad tried to take a swing at Rod and Rod dodged it while I backed away. Dad took another swing and this time, Rod couldn't avoid the blow. He hit the wall.

"Dad, stop!" I said. That's when he knocked me down again. This time, I stayed on the ground. I could hear Rod and Dan yelling at Dad above me. I heard Dan coaxing me to get up. I refused. Rod assured me that it would be okay, but I still wouldn't stand up. It was too much. I closed my eyes to block out my confusion.

I don't remember opening them up again.

_End Flashback_

I was only twelve at that time. It still haunts me. It was the first time I didn't get back up again. I gave up. And now, Kendi's giving up too.

"Hey, Cam, are you going to be all right?" I didn't notice that Zonks was right beside me.

"Yeah, I guess."

"You're not blaming yourself for this, are you?" I didn't answer. Zonks came up with his own conclusion. "Why do you think it's your fault?"

"I think I was the last one to talk to her," I said.

"So?"

"She didn't seem sad on the phone. She didn't sound as if she knew something was wrong. We talked. I didn't know…" My throat hardened.

"You couldn't have known. She wasn't going to blatantly say, 'I'm gonna kill myself today.'"

"The worst part was that she said goodbye."

"Most people say goodbye when they end a phone conversation."

"Yeah, but I didn't think she meant goodbye forever."

"Oh." Zonks stayed silent and I was thankful for that. It was getting painful to talk. I didn't want to break down. I remembered Mr. Curtis's face. He was hurt. Mrs. Curtis couldn't have been any better. I looked over at Maya and Roxie. There are already enough tears. We didn't need another set of crying eyes.

I took a few deep breaths. Anything to calm myself down. Then I saw Dan coming towards my direction. And that's when I realized that I never let him know that I was here.

**Dan's POV**

I decided to come home early so Cam wouldn't be alone. Old habits die hard, I guess. As soon as I got home, I knew something was up. The front door was cracked open as if someone was in a hurry and forgot to close the door. I figured that it was just Cam being Cam again.

"Hey, Cam! I cam home early! You wanna go to the movies or something?" I figured that since it was Friday, I'd bring Cam somewhere. He'd been a little out of it lately. I thought he could use a break. There was no answer. "Cam?" Still none.

I looked around. There was no note or anything. Maybe he'd gone with Rodney at his job. I went to the phone and dialed Rod's cell number.

"Hello, Daniel," he answered jokingly. He probably saw the caller ID on his phone.

"Hey, Rod. Is Cameron with you?"

"No, why?"

"He's not here at the hose. Did he tell you he was going somewhere?"

"No."

"Oh shit." Various scenarios played in my paranoid mind. Cam had been kidnapped by serial killers. Cam was shot coming home from school. Cam was abducted by aliens. All kinds of things ran through my mind.

"You know, Cam might just be over at Rawley's house," Rod said. My nerves calmed down. Why didn't I think of this before?

"Oh yeah. I guess I'll go call Rawley's house and find out." I hung up with Rod and then dialed the Creeks' phone number.

"Hello?" I heard Aunt CeeCee's voice say.

"Hi, Aunt CeeCee. It's Dan."

"Talon?"

"Yes. Is Cam over there with Rawley?"

"Actually, Rawley's not even here. He said something about going to the hospital. Maybe Cam's there as well."

At that I calmed down a little more. But only a little. What would he be doing at the hospital?

"Do you know why he went?" I asked.

"I don't know. He just got a phone call from his girlfriend and then he said he had to leave. He didn't tell me why, just that he was going to the hospital." Strange.

"Thanks, Aunt CeeCee," I said. I said goodbye and then I grabbed my car keys and left.

On the way to the hospital, a million other things went through my head. I thought about what I was going to do when I found Cam. Would I scold him or be thankful he's alive? What if he isn't at the hospital? No, I can't think that. But what would he be doing at the hospital in the first place? I didn't want to think of the many possibilities.

When I got to the hospital, I somehow found my way to the hall where Cam and his friends were. Cam was with Zonks at one side. His head was directed towards the ground and his eyes were too, but his mind seemed to have been on something else. Well, he was safe as far as I could see. But I didn't show that I was happy he was.

"Cam, where the hell were you? I come home and the door was open and you weren't there! I almost thought something happened to you! You could've left a note, Cam. You could've let me know instead of leaving me to try and figure out for myself!" Cam had been standing up as I was yelling at him but then he slid down, his expression letting me know he wasn't really listening.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly without looking at me. Zonks glanced at me.

"Hey, Dan. Can I talk to you for a sec?" he said. Before I could answer, he led me to the other side of the hall away from Cam. "Go easy on Cam, okay? He's not in any shape to yelled at."

"What happened?"

"Kendi attempted suicide. I think Cam is blaming himself for it." Oh. That must've been why he looked so down. God, how could I have yelled at him when he was having such a bad day?

"Oh," was all I managed to say.

"Yeah. And we still don't know why this happened," Zonks said. He walked away. I just stood there until I decided to join Cam. I could at least try to find out if he was okay.

"He, Cameron. Are you all right?" He was still staring blankly into space. He shook his head. His arms were folded across his chest. "Look, everything's going to be fine, you'll see." I realized that Cam had already chosen not to listen to me, so I stopped talking and looked around. Roxie and Rawley were huddled close together and Roxie's eyes were bloodshot. She had been crying. Maya was with Saban and tears were still running down her face. It made me sad to look at them. I looked back at Cameron expecting to see the same sorrowful face.

Instead, I saw his face buried in his arms and his body shaking as he struggled to hide his sobs.

**Cameron's POV**

I can't believe I started crying. Especially all the effort I went through to prevent it. My throat had been in a knot ever since I got to the hospital. But for some reason after Dan arrived, I couldn't swallow it down. Soon it felt like I was choking on a rock. And then a tear fell from my eye. Then another. Then another. Until I was just crying and hiding my face so no one would see. I did a pretty bad job of it. Dan wrapped his arm around me saying, "It's going to be all right, cam," but I could barely hear him. SO I just sat there, crying my head off until I had finally calmed down. That's when I saw that everyone was gathered around me. Roxie and Maya were finished crying and were looking at me sympathetically.

"Hey, Camel, it's okay. You can cry," Roxie said. I wiped away the last of my tears.

"Like you said to me, it's not your fault," Maya said. I knew it wasn't my fault. But still, it hurts knowing someone you care about would do something like that. I guess I don't know what to think of it.

"Hey, why don't we go see Kendi now?" Rawley suggested. The thought of seeing Kendi's almost-lifeless body on the hospital bed didn't appeal to me. But I went with them anyways. It couldn't hurt anymore now.

**Kendi's POV**

My eyes weren't open but I could hear a faint _beep… beep… beep… _from the heart rate machine. It seemed to be getting slower. My wrist was throbbing. I barely knew where I was. I could hear my mom whispering, "Why?" And I knew somehow that Dad was praying for me to be safe. I felt so horrible for doing this to them. The throbbing in my wrists didn't help much.

Suddenly, the throbbing stopped. And I started feeling lighter. My back was no longer against the bed. The _beep… beep… beep…_sound grew slower and fainter.

I finally opened my eyes. And I saw my limp body still unconscious on the hospital bed as I floated higher and higher.

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**A/N: Sorry it took me so long. I know some people have been telling me to update this a lot. I haven't had the time. So don't be surprised if you don't hear another update from me again for a while. Good news is though that I started writing the next chapter already so it might not take as long. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! R&R.**

**P.S. I have a tendency to leave cliffhangers, don't I?**


	37. Upon Entering the Light

**Chapter Thirty Seven- Upon Entering the Light**

**A/N: So I guess everyone who's been reading this is wondering what the heck that last part of the previous chapter was about. Well, here it is. By the end of this chapter if you still hate me, feel free to release all the flames imaginable. **

Disclaimer: Sure I own The Outsiders. And last week there were a few flying pig sightings.

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**Kendi's POV **

I didn't know what to feel. Scared? Relieved? Regret? Truthfully, I didn't feel anything at all, which was a first. If anything, I should've at least felt sad that I was leaving my family and my friends. I should at least see them one more time.

I turned over so as I was floating, I could see what was below me. I looked at my limp body on the bed. It was still lightly breathing. That seemed strange. If my soul wasn't in it anymore, why would my body still breathe. I decided at this point, it wasn't important. Any moment now, my body had to stop breathing.

I looked in the hallway outside my room. Everyone was gathered around one side. They were gathered around something… or someone. Maya and Roxie spread out and I saw that cam was rubbing his eyes. Tears streamed down his face. He was crying. Was he crying for me? I felt sick. The way Saban has his arm around Maya looked like he was comforting her. Her eyeliner was running. Roxie's eyes were red and she was clinging onto Rawley. What did I do?

I had a fleeting thought of going back to my hospital room and going back to my body. I saw my parents. My mom was crying too. Dad held two fingers to his lips as if he was holding another cigarette. I started to make my way back to my body.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans for me. Instead of going back to my body, I got sucked into a spinning tunnel that led me to a dark open space. I was standing, or it felt like I was standing. I couldn't tell anymore. Reality seemed to have been twisted all around. I couldn't see anything. It was just dark. Was this death?

A flash of bright light appeared, and suddenly a sparkling white opening shone in the darkness. That's when I knew this was the end. With a heavy heart, and a clear mind, I began to step over to it, not knowing what was on the other side.

"Hold it right there, kid! You ain't taking another step past this point!" a voice in front of me said. I looked up and saw a guy on the other side of the light with his hand out in front of me as a sign for me to halt. The guy was thin and had the whitest white-blond hair I'd ever seen. His eyes were ice blue and his ears were practically pointed.

"What?" I said dumbly. I was at a loss for words considering my current position. I was just one step away from saying goodbye to everything I knew.

"You ain't going anywhere, kid. You don't belong here. Yet." The boy grinned. He looked about seventeen or eighteen. What was he doing on the other side?

"Dally, don't scare her!" Another voice, also a guy, called out. Dally. I vaguely remembered that name from somewhere…

"Come on, Johnny. We can't let Pony's kid in here! It'd kill him."

"Yeah… well…" I saw the Johnny kid. He had greasy black hair, a scar on his cheek, and black, I mean really black, eyes. That's when I realized who these people were. They were my dad's friends who died all those years ago. That's why they were on the other side. They're time came long ago.

"You're Dallas Winston and Johnny Cade!" I said.

"Took ya long enough, kid!" Dally said.

"C'mon, Dal, don't be mean to her," Johnny said. He really did look like a lost puppy.

"Mean? I'm being as fucking nice as I can be! Goddammit! Do you really think I'm gonna just stand here and watch a teenage girl take her life? Not a chance!" Apparently, I wasn't going to die if the ghosts of my father's past have anything to say about it.

"Uh… where am I?" I asked.

"You're in between life and death right now, kid," Dally said.

"My name's Kendi," I said icily. I was getting sick of being called "kid".

"Whatever," he said. He may have been dead for over thirty years, but Dally still acted the way Dad had described in his essay.

"So what am I supposed to do here? Die? Live? Go insane?"

"I don't know. It depends on what you want to do, "Johnny explained. "If you want to die, by means, cross over this light." For the first time he looked me straight in the eye. "I hope you don't though. I hope you go back to living again, Kendi. You don't know what you're throwing away. If sixteen wasn't long enough for me to do everything I wanted, then fourteen is way too short. Go back." He looked at me sincerely. I didn't know what to say. He was practically begging me to stay away from the light. The light he already passed through.

"How do I go back to living, though?" I asked. Dallas and Johnny looked at each other.

"Beats me," Dally said. "As soon as I went through this I was practically forced into this light."

"Same here," Johnny said. Great. No one has a clue as to how I get back home. And I don't have any ruby slippers to help me either.

"Maybe, I'm supposed to die now," I said.

"NO WAY!" Dally yelled. "They want you back, kid. Your mom, your dad, your friends, those boys you hang out with…"

"How do you know about them?" I asked.

"When you're dead, you get to see everything that happens in the world. The only downside is that they never get to see you," Johnny said sadly. I remembered wanting to meet him when I was reading Dad's essay. Guess I got my wish.

"So what's it going to be? You gonna stay stuck here in the middle of life and death or are you going to choose?" Dally said. I thought about it. My mind slipped back to the heart rate machine next to my body back on Earth. How long did I have before it went to a monotone _beeeeeeeeeeeeep…_?

"I don't know. The only path available seems like death. I don't know where the option for life is," I said. Dallas looked sympathetic for once, and his tone was something other than sarcastic for a change.

"Yeah, it's tough isn't it?"

"Do you want to go back?" another voice said. It didn't come from dally nor Johnny. This voice was a woman.

"Huh?"

"I said, 'Do you want to go back?'" A woman with long blond hair and fair skin appeared behind Dally and Johnny on the other side of the light. There was something oddly familiar about her. "You have to be sure that's what you want or else you'll be stuck here forever." She was very beautiful. I wondered why she was dead. She looked so young. Probably around her early to mid-thirties. Her eyes were a soft gray. I knew those eyes. The last time I saw them, they were filled with worry and anger.

"Who are you?" I said. She smiled.

"You don't know me, but I gave birth to a certain boy who's crying over you. A boy who cares more than you want to know." No wonder she looked familiar.

"You're Cameron's mother?" I said. I felt a little stupid to not have figured this out before.

"Yeah, she's your boyfriend's mom, alright," Dally said with his sarcasm making a return. I ignored him.

"Mrs. Talon, do you know what happened? To Cam, I mean." If you could see everything that happens from here, did Cam' mom know what's been going on since she left?

"Yes I know what happened to my boys. I knew their father's drinking was bad, but I never knew Cam would get caught in the crossfire." She looked saddened and I felt bad for bringing the whole thing up. "Kendi, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"When you go back, let Danny, Rod, and Cameron know that I will always be watching over them, even if it's not physically. Let them know I'll still be there. Cami especially needs to hear that." She smiled again and I tried to imagine what kind of mother she was to Cam. She seemed like a very sweet woman.

"Yeah, and while you're at it, tell your dad that he better get his mind off the past already. He's got a wife and kid to think about now," Dally said with a grin.

"I'll let them all know," I said. I would, too. I didn't want to die anymore. I don't want to die.

"Stay gold," Johnny said. I remembered what Dad wrote as Johnny's last words.

"You want me to tell Dad that, too?" Johnny shook his head.

"I'm telling _you_ that, Kendi. Stay gold. For the people who love if for nothing else." I smiled. No wonder he was Dad's best friend. Suddenly, another portal opened. In this one, I could see my hospital room through it. All my friends were there and so were my parents. So this was the way back.

"I guess this is my exit," I said. The boys and Mrs. Talon smiled at me.

"Have a good trip, Kendi," Dally said. "Tell your dad 'hello' for us." I waved at them and stepped toward the portal.

"NO! Don't leave yet!" I heard someone call. This voice I recognized even though I hadn't heard it for years. "Baby Sis! Come back here!" I turned around to see Dana's pale face for the first time in a long while. "You weren't going to leave without saying hi to me, were you, Baby Sis?" she said with a smirk. I reverted to my ten-year-old self.

"Dana!" I ran to the light again without crossing over it to see my big sister face to face. Dana, though, crossed over the light to _my_ side.

"Hey you ain't supposed to do that, Dana!" Dally called after her.

"Says who?" Dana called back. "I'm dead already so rules don't apply anymore!" Johnny chuckled in the background.

"Just let them go, Dallas. It's been a while since they've seen each other," Cam's mom told Dally.

"Thanks, Mrs. Talon," Dana said. She turned to me. "So, Kendi, you've gotten taller. Not by much though." She smirked at me again. Dana was still taller than me by a couple of inches. "Anyways, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I forced all my troubles on you when you had no idea how to understand. I should've known better."

"It's no problem, really."

"Yes, it is. I thought only about myself and look where I am now. I never thought you'd try to follow me."

"I didn't try to follow you," I said. "I found my own path." Dana laughed. I didn't see what was so funny.

"Well, hopefully your path leads to a better future for you. And maybe better boyfriends. I can't believe I went out with Chris. He was an ass."

"No, really?" I said sarcastically.

"Yeah, really. He wasn't worth it." Dana paused. She looked over at Mrs. Talon and smiled. "But you know, Mrs. Talon's kid ain't half bad. Why'd ya turn him down?" I forgot that Dana was able to watch over me too.

"I… I… I don't know. I guess I just don't think I'm ready. I mean, after seeing what happened with you and Chris…"

"Hey, Chris and Cameron are two different guys. Chris, on one hand, doesn't give a crap about anyone but himself, whereas Cameron would call you up just to see if you're okay. Cameron won't hurt you like Chris did me. Trust me on that." I smiled at her. I always wondered what it would be like to talk about boys with Dana. I never imagined our conversation to take place while my life was in limbo.

"Go back, Baby Sis. Go back and live the life I gave up. I'll be watching over you, I promise." That's when I saw Dana cry for the very first time. "I've missed you so much since that day. And I'll still miss you when you go. But go. Please." I found myself wrapped in a warm hug with my sister. I hugged back. Tears welled up in my eyes and I didn't bother to fight them. If crying is admitting that it's real, then please let this be real.

I don't remember Dana letting go of me. I don't remember entering the portal that led back home. But next thing I knew I was spiraling downwards, on my way back to Earth.

_Beep… beep… beep… Beep.. Beep. Beep. BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!_

My eyes were still closed. They were wet with tears. The heart- rate machine was noisy and gave me a headache. The throbbing was back on my wrist. I turned my head slowly from side to side. Afterward, I opened my eyes, and light streamed into my vision.

"Guys, she's awake!"

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**A/N: Yes, she's alive, people. Did you really think I would kill Kendi off? There are enough dead people in the story without adding more. So WHEW! That part's over. I guess this would be a good time to warn everyone that the end of Someone to Lean On is near. Hey, it had to come at some point. So I don't know how many chapters are left but I don't think it's a lot. Only a few more to go.**

**Hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving!**


	38. Goodbye Grief, Hello Recovery

**Chapter Thirty Eight- Goodbye Grief, Hello Recovery**

**A/N: Okay, people, I get it!!!! I need to update like right now!! Sorry everybody. I've been busy with school and stuff. **

**This is the last chapter of Someone to Lean On. I'm planning on a sequel but I don't know when I'll get it posted up. I really want to continue this story, though because I like all these characters and I want to write a little more about them. How long before everyone gets sick of them?**

**Stupid chapter title, I know. **

Disclaimer: For the last time, I don't own The Outsiders!!!!

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**Cameron's POV**

"Guys, she's awake!" Zonks screamed, loud enough for the whole world to hear. The heart-rate machine was going crazy but no one cared. We gathered around Kendi's bed. Her head rolled from one side to another on the pillow she laid on. Her eyes flickered open and she squinted at the light. She was alive!

"You had us worried there," Saban said. His shoulder was stained with Maya's tears. Roxie bounced to Kendi's side with more energy than you'd expect from a girl who'd been crying for the past fifteen minutes.

"You all right, Kendi?" she said.

"Yeah, I think so."

"You think so?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Positive?"

"I'm all right, Roxie!"

"Good." WHACK! Roxie hit Kendi upside the head. By the look on Kendi's face, it hurt.

"OW! What was that for?"

"For trying to leave without saying goodbye!" Roxie yelled. "What were you thinking, Kendi? That once you were gone, we'd be okay? That we'd get over it? Well, you're dead wrong about that!"

Zonks was giggling at the side. It sounds horrible to do considering the circumstances but then you really couldn't blame him.

"Kendi, seriously. Why?" Maya said. "We were all scared when we found out. Everyone was."

"I'm sorry," Kendi said. "I didn't mean to hurt you guys. I was scared too. I was angry even."

"We were, too." It takes me a minute to realize I'm the one talking. "I mean, I was angry. I wish I had seen it before. I wish I said something."

"I wish I did too." Maya said. "Then maybe none of this would've happened." Maya looked like she was about to cry again. Saban put his arm around her.

"Are you going to be okay, Kendi?" Dan asked. I almost forgot her was still here.

"Yeah, I'm okay now," she said. Then she turned her attention to Roxie. "Don't hit me. I've got enough of a headache."

"All right, I won't. But, you know, we all thought you were dead. That stupid machine kept getting slower and slower. I swear it's broken!" Roxie got ready to take a swing at the heart-rate machine but Rawley got a hold of her.

"You're gonna get us kicked out Roxie!" Rawley yelled. It must be a strain for someone as laid back as Rawley to go out with someone as wild as Roxie.

"Mr. and Mrs. Curtis were outside talking to the doctor. Vaguely I wondered Gordon would show up around here but I doubted it. It'd hurt him to see another person he cared about attempt suicide. Mr. Curtis came inside. A look of relief came over his face when he saw that Kendi was alive.

"Thank God, you're all right," he said as he walked over to hug his daughter.

"Yeah, I am, Dad. Dally says, 'Hi,' by the way."

Mr. Curtis stared at her in shock as if she just said, "Hi, Dad. I'm pregnant." Yeah it was _that_ kind of shock.

"Are you feeling all right, sweetie?" Mr. Curtis said as he felt her forehead.

"Yeah, I'm feeling fine. And I'm serious. I really did see Dally. And Johnny, too! He told me to stay gold just like he told you!"

By this time, we've all joined in on the shock. I didn't completely know what was going on but I had a feeling that "Johnny" and "Dally" weren't exactly available to talk.

"And I bet you saw Dana, too," Roxie said not meaning it at all.

"Yeah! How'd you know?" Kendi said completely oblivious to the sarcasm in Roxie's voice. How much blood did Kendi lose? Better yet, how hard did Roxie hit her?

"Where'd you see them?" Maya said trying to sound as normal as possible, as if her best friend hadn't just said she talked to dead people.

"At the light," Kendi said.

Mr. Curtis flinched. We all knew what that meant.

"Did you see anyone else?" Maya said, again trying to sound cheerful.

"Yeah." Kendi turned her head to Dan and me. "I saw your mom. She seemed really nice. She wanted you to know that she's always watching over you guys."

No wit was my turn to flinch. Zonks looked at me sympathetically. I wondered if Dan was as uncomfortable as I was.

"I have one question though, Cam," Kendi said. It had to be something about this whacked-out dream she had. To be honest, it was creeping me out. "She called you Cami. Your mom, I mean. She called you Cami. I thought you hated that. Is that why?"

An ominous silence filled the room. Dan put his hand on my shoulder as if to tell me that everything was all right, that Kendi didn't understand what she saw. But I couldn't help thinking that maybe she did. And that's what scared me.

"Is something wrong, Cam?" Kendi said.

I stared at her for another moment. What was I supposed to answer? Uhh… yeah, I'm all right with the fact that you talk to the dead now. Did you happen to see Elvis up there? And while you're at it, give a message to John Lennon for me, will ya?

"Nurse!" I called as loudly as I could. Maybe all Kendi needed was a little medical attention.

**Maya's POV**

Cameron was freaked out when Kendi mentioned that she saw his mom. I think the "Cami" part was the one that did it. Mr. Curtis stared at Cam after he started calling the nurse but he wasn't surprised by it. What Kendi was saying _did_ seem a little "out there". But stranger things have happened so maybe she really is telling the truth.

"So what else did you see?" Roxie said.

"Not much. One minute I'm out of my body and then I'm floating up-"

"Well at least you're floating _up_," Mr. Curtis said.

"Yeah, and I saw you guys below me. Then everything turned dark and suddenly this light appears out of nowhere and all those people were in it…" She went on to describe what happened. It was strange at best, but like I said, you can find weirder things in the tabloids.

"So what's it like to survive death, Kendi?" Roxie asked with an eager expression on her face.

"Eh… I don't know. Weird?"

"Kendi, you should probably rest awhile. Clear your head a little," Mr. Curtis said. Kendi's not stupid. She knows that her dad's only trying to shut her up.

"I'm not tired, Dad."

"Umm… I think you are," Jarod said, finally saying something. His sullen expression was still plastered on his face. I'd laugh if it froze like that.

"What's the matter here?" the nurse said when she entered the room.

"Oh, it's nothing. My daughter was just a little dizzy when she woke up," Mr. Curtis explained.

"And a little delusional," Jarod muttered. I motioned for him to zip it. Now was the not the time for his sly remarks.

"I think she'll be all right, though," Cam said. A little ironic considering he's the one who called the nurse in the first place. But I guess when you freak out, you do the first thing that comes to mind.

Mrs. Curtis stepped into the room shortly after the nurse left (the nurse seemed a little annoyed at the "false alarm").

"My baby!" she cried out after seeing Kendi. She went up to hug her.

"I think that's a pretty obvious sign that we should _leave_," I said. Emphasizing my last word.

"Yeah, looks that way" Saban said. He led me to the door while the rest of the gang followed.

"Man, it was intense in there!" Zonks said trying to break the awkward silence that surrounded us.

"Cam, are you all right?" Rawley asked. Cam looked like the world ended or something along those lines.

"Yeah, I'm just… a little… you know…"

"Out of it?" Roxie suggested.

"Yeah. That."

"I know how that feels. But, you know, at least she's still alive. I'm happy for that."

"You sure didn't show it the way you socked her in the head," Dan pointed out. Zonks was behind him mockingly nodding his head and pretending to sock himself the way Roxie did Kendi. In short, he's being an idiot. Some things never change.

"Well, that's because I was… I don't know… out of it too, I guess. I mean, come on, she's our friend and she goes off and does _that_? I still want to know why. But I'll settle for the fact that she's alive for now."

We all stayed silent after that thinking about what Roxie said. She was right.

"Well, I guess we better get going," Dan said. "Anyone need a ride?"

All of us somehow squeezed into Dan's blue pickup truck while Roxie begged Rawley to hang out in the truck bed with her. There was now way she'd survive in such a cramped space with us. Rawley gave in. (I'm not even sure if it's legal for them to be in the truck bed but oh well).

"Okay, no sex back there, you two!" Dan called out to them causing the rest of us to crack up.

"Aw man!" Roxie said snapping her fingers.

"I bet you five bucks those two end up making out back there," I said jokingly to Saban. He grinned.

"You're on."

I got back home with a serious headache. I think hanging out with everyone at the same time was taking its toll on me. My brother was upstairs locked in his room playing some cartoon video game of his. I could hear the comical sound effects like _pingpingping_, _Vrooooooooom!!_, and _BANG! BANG! BANG!_ Trust me, it wasn't helping much.

I took an aspirin and plopped myself in the family room couch. With the pillow over my head, I tried to sleep through the rest of the day. I would've if the phone hadn't rung.

"I'm coming!" I yelled drowsily as I stumbled over to the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Maya," Kendi said.

"Oh hey." The cartoony noises seemed to have gotten louder than before. _Vroom vroom vrooooom! CRASH!_

"Is your brother on the video games again?" Kendi said.

"Yeah. One sec," covered the speaker and yelled to my brother upstairs. "Hey keep it down up there!" Then I went back to the phone. "As you were saying?"

"Yeah. My parents told me what the doctor said."

"And?"

"Apparently, I need treatment. They're sending me to the juvenile ward for a couple weeks or so. Depending."

"Oh," I said. "Depending on what?"

"Depending on how much I want to get better."

"How much do you want to get better?"

"A lot. But I'm a little… scared."

"Of what?"

"I don't know. I'm just really nervous."

"Everything'll be all right, Kendi. We've all got your back ont his."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Just promise me you'll get better, okay?"

"Promise."

"Good."

Kendi hung up and I silently prayed for her recovery.

**Kendi's POV**

I hung up with Maya. I'd already called Roxie earlier today.

"I'm gonna break you out of that ward, Kendi!" she had said. I told her thanks but no thanks. This was something I needed to do.

I looked at the clock. A quarter past seven. It's weird to think that only a few hours ago I tried to kill myself. It was so close that t scared me. So much can happen in a little amount of time.

Gordon came into the room.

"You feeling better, Kendi?"

"Yeah, I am. How about you?"

"A little. Guess we'll be seeing each other more for a while."

"Yeah, I guess so." My mom came into the room. She fixed her make-up so now her mascara wasn't streaming down her face anymore.

"Hello, dear," she said sweetly. I wished she wouldn't sugar coat her words so much. I wished she would just scream at me.

"Hi," I said. Then, for the millionth time added, "I'm so sorry Mom. I didn't mean to hurt you and Dadso much. I just-"

"It's all right, Kendi. We know. I just wish we could have done more to help you than we did."

"It's okay. You guy did-"

"Look, the important thing is that you deal with this. That we deal with this. We're going to get you help. Don't worry." She started tearing up again, and I still felt terrible. Tears were crawling into my eyes too. Gordon came in again, though I never saw him leave.

"Kendi, you have a visitor," he said. I wondered who could be coming this late. Then Cameron entered the room. He glanced at my mom and me.

"Uhh... I kinda wanted to talk to you but I guess this is a bad time. I can come again later..."

"No, it's fine," Mom said. She got up to leave. She knew Cam probably had something important to say if he was coming in a second time. Gordon, however, wasn't so sure.

""You hurt her in any way, I will skin you alive," he whispered to Cam. I laughed. Cam didn't look so sure if Gordon was serious or not.

"O...kay," he said his voice shaking a little. Mom and Gordon left the room.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey."

"Sooo... what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, I just... I thought... I mean... So how's your day?"

"Fine," I said a little sarcastically. I wished he'd just spit it out. "How about you? How'd you get here anywas?"

"Rod gave me a ride."

"What?"

"Rod has a license and he bought a car from someone at work. I thought you knew that?"

"No, I mean I did, but I thought you hated Rod's driving."

"I do. He drives wicked fast and runs stoplights sometimes. He has an unpaid ticket and that's not doing any good for us. You'd think he'd be more careful 'cause of what happened to Mom and all."

I regretted making him bring up his mom but I still wanted to know something. "So why'd you ask him for a ride?"

"I was desperate. Dan's working still and I don't have any money left for the bus. Besides, Rod insisted he drive me."

"Oh." Well that's one question down. "So do you remember what you wanted to talk about?"

"Huh? Oh... yeah. Are you going to... you know... get help?" he stuttered.

"Yeah, I have to stay here for a while."

"Do you know how long?"

"About two weeks, probably. Why?"

"So I know not to plan anything for the next two weeks so I have time to visit."

"What about Residents of Mangled City?"

"On hiatus until you come back."

"Seriously?"

"You're part of the band. No point in practice without you."

"That's sweet of you guys." Cam grinned. He turned away from me but I thought I saw a little red in his cheek.

"So, I guess I'll see you at school in two weeks," he said.

"Yeah. Can you make sure anyone who's wondering that I'm alive. I don't want to show up and everyone coming up to me saying, 'I thought you died!'"

He laughed. "Sure. As long as you can do _me_ a favor."

"What kind of favor?"

"The kind where you get better. I wanted... I just want you to get better when you come back, okay? It's hard watching you suffer like you did." I looked into his gray eyes and saw how much he meant what he said. I got up and hugged him. He seemed surprised but he didn't mind.

"Okay," I said. "I'll get better, I promise."

After I let go, he said, "Don't worry about Kapri and Valencia either. I'll handle them at school on Monday."

I smiled. "I think Roxie and Maya got that covered."

"Yeah, I guess they would." He looked away for a second and thought about soemthing. Or at least it looked like he was thinking about something. I wouldn't know. "Umm... I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about calling the nurse this afternoon. It's just that when you said that you talked to my mom, I just... um... well..."

"Freaked out?"

"Why can't I ever say it on my own?" he said to himself. I laughed again. "But yeah, I freaked out. I haven't seen or heard from my mom since I was eight so I got scared."

"I understand."

"Just one thing, though. Did she really call me 'Cami'?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Mom..." Cam said in a tone a little kid uses when his parents embarrass him.

"Old nickname?"

"Yeah. Stupid one, too. I always hated it."

"But you still let her call you that."

"She's my mother. What else could I do?"

I smiled at the thought of him with his mom and having to put up with a nickname like that. Cam checked the clock.

"Listen, I gotta go. But I'll try to visit the soonest I can. Have a good recovery."

"Thanks, Cam. I will." As he got up to leave, he leaned over to me and kissed me lightly on the forhead. I felt my cheeks go up in flames.

"I'll see you soon," he said before leaving. After he left, my parents came in.

"What did he want to talk to you about?" my mom asked.

"He just wanted to wish me luck, that's all."

"Oh. That's very nice of him," Mom said. I could tell she was wondering what kind of good luck takes fifteen minutes to say.

"Yeah, I said."

"Now, sweetie, are you sure about his?" Dad said.

"Yes, Dad, I am."

"We just want to make sure, okay?" Gordon came into the room.

"Are you ready Kendi?" he asked me.

I smiled. "I'm ready now."

* * *

**A/N: T.T It's the end now. But I'll try to see if I can write a sequel to it only it'll take place after Kendi has left recovery. It'll have the same characters (and possibly a few new ones) and a different storyline (I'm sure we've gotten to the end of this one, right?). Geez, it took me so long to write this but it was fun. Thanks to all you reviewers out there for giving me feedback! See you in another story!**


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